


Wait a Minute

by twinklingpaopufruit



Series: Supernatural AU Series [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Hunter Mingyu, Hunter Vernon, Hunter Wonwoo, M/M, Witch Seungkwan, Witch Vernon, hunter seungcheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27200798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinklingpaopufruit/pseuds/twinklingpaopufruit
Summary: Seungkwan clutches at the Black Grimoire with both hands. He’s terrified, they both are, but Seungkwan isn’t going to leave the universe to fall into the hands of the darkness. He reaches out and cups Vernon’s cheek. Seungkwan confidently states, “I only believe in two things. I believe in Magic and I believe in you.”
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Series: Supernatural AU Series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752166
Comments: 38
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of my other supernatural works in this series. You don't need to read to understand this fic except for a few details  
> Jun was killed by a demon and Wonwoo and Mingyu became hunters because of it  
> Mingyu dies around 24 because he made a deal with a demon to save Wonwoo and went to hell  
> Mingyu comes back to life because Minghao, an angel, saved him  
> A year later, Minghao dies saving Mingyu 
> 
> The events of this story will detail Vernon's life from 13 to his 20s.

~Hold on, wait a minute  
Feel my heart's intention, love  
Hold on, wait a minute  
I left my consciousness in the sixth dimension  
Left my soul in his vision~

Seungkwan bends to pluck a mushroom from where it's nestled between rocks and moss. He carefully tucks it into his basket. He knows these mushrooms can easily be bought in a store, but there's something special about plucking fresh mushrooms from the forest ground—plus, Seungkwan likes to play his witch role to perfection.

As he catches sight of another mushroom, Seungkwan feels the magic of a devil's trap burn through his veins. Cautiously, Seungkwan scans his surroundings. He knows that if someone has drawn a devil's trap, it can only mean one thing: hunters. 

Seungkwan has been doing a great job avoiding them for the past one hundred years, and he's not willing to break that streak anytime soon.

He mumbles, "Horreat." His basket shrinks to the size of a thimble, and he pockets it into his jeans. 

He turns to leave in the opposite direction, but Seungkwan embarrassingly shouts as a knife is suddenly pressed against his throat.

"Hello Seungkwan," the demon in front of him greets.

This demon obviously knows him. It's best to play dumb since Seungkwan has no doubts that this is the demon the hunters must be after.

"I would return the greeting, but I don't know who you are," Seungkwan answers. 

The demon looks down at the human he's possessing and smirks, "This meat suit doesn't do me justice. Asmodeus, charmed to make your re-acquaintance."

Seungkwan narrows his eyes in recognition. Oh, Seungkwan remembers this demon well. This idiot had interfered when Seungkwan had been trying to steal the Black Grimoire Spellbook from Soonyoung. He had successfully taken it, but Asmodeus had slowed him down. There had been a struggle between the three of them for the book until the sentient book had enough of their squabble and disappeared altogether. 

"What brings you here?" Seungkwan questions slowly as the demon begins to back him into a tree.

"Oh, you know, just having fun and killing a few campers."

That's not Asmodeus' M.O. Seungkwan presses his lips together to stop his laughter, "I'm going to assume Soonyoung sacked you when you lost the book?"

Black spreads against Asmodeus' eyes, and then, he's shoving the blade in Seungkwan's throat almost enough to pierce his skin. Seungkwan takes a deep breath, ready to burn this demon and stop with the games.

The sound of a bullet cocking inside a gun has them both freezing. Seungkwan knows it's the hunter. He slowly turns to the third party and is surprised to find a child there. He's a small boy with a mop of messy brown hair and large brown eyes. 

The demon growls and is ready to launch at the hunter, but some protective urge courses through Seungkwan. "Manete!" He shouts.

Seungkwan paralyzes the demon with his spell.

The young boy looks at Seungkwan, realizing what he is. Seungkwan takes a cautious step to the side. He's ready to flee altogether, but the boy cries out, "Wait!" 

Seungkwan hates that he stops, and worse, listens.

"Are you a good witch?" The boy asks earnestly. 

The demon cackles. "Is this kid for real?"

Seungkwan utters another spell, rendering the demon mute.

Seungkwan can't help but say, "I'm not a witch at all. I'm from Kansas." He replies in English.

The boy smiles brightly at his reply. "Can you help me?"

"I'm sorry?" Seungkwan guffaws back in Korean.

"Can you help me move him? There's a cabin less than half a mile from here. I drew a devil's trap. I can take it from there."

He doesn't see how this boy can take anything. He is so tiny. Who the hell let this child run rampant by himself without a parent? Seungkwan impulsively grunts out his consent and then says another spell to get the demon to follow them on an invisible chain.

Asmodeus struggles against his bonds, but Seungkwan just tugs him forward with a finger. 

"You shouldn't have taken the book from me," Seungkwan chirps. Asmodeus grunts out in annoyance. 

Seungkwan doesn't say anything to the child. He follows him down a trail and to a small wooden cabin. He drags the demon inside and throws him into the devil's trap spray-painted in red across the floor. Seungkwan turns to leave and never looks back, but he's startled when he hears Asmodeus cry out in pain.

He looks over his shoulder and sees that the child has thrown a large bucket of holy water onto the demon—Seungkwan glances around the room. There are six large buckets of holy water on the ground beside the devil's trap, several weapons ranging from hunting knives to shotguns. This child had come prepared. 

Seungkwan decides to stay when he hears the boy shout, "Why did you kill them?"

Seungkwan understands now. He casts a privacy charm around the cabin so no camper lurking outside would be able to hear them. He chooses to help the child and removes the silencing spell on the demon.

"Kill who?" The demon laughs when he catches his breath. Seungkwan leans against the wall, watching curiously. 

The boy splashes more holy water onto the demon. The demon curses and convulses to his knees, but he doesn't stop laughing.

"My parents!" The boy yells.

"Kid. I've killed so many humans. You really expect me to remember?"

He gets splashed again. "You killed my parents a year ago!"

"You are going to have to be more specific."

"Yeong River in Mungyeong City!" The boy screams.

Asmodeus grins, "Oh, yes. Now, I remember. The hunter couple. I remember the man screaming when I gutted his wife."

The child shouts something unintelligible, and then he is reaching for a gun. He fires two bullets into the demon's chest. The damage doesn't do anything, but it must help with the boy's rage, Seungkwan thinks.

"Why?" The boy sobs out.

Asmodeus releases a wicked smirk, "Because I can."

The child's eyes darken in contempt, and he is standing straight, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii," The child begins to chant the exorcism, and Seungkwan doesn't know why he does this, but he stops him.

"Wait," Seungkwan pushes from the wall.

The demon stops struggling on the ground and looks up at Seungkwan in confusion. The child does as well.

"You aren't going to kill the demon with that," Seungkwan states. 

"I know," The child chokes out. "I'm sending him back to hell."

"Why? When you can kill him."

"Nothing can kill a demon."

"Of course, there is." Seugkwan summons a knife into his hand. At first glance, the knife appears to be an ordinary hunting knife with a curved, serrated-edged blade and antler handle. However, upon closer inspection, symbols can be seen engraved along the blade. He walks forward and hands over the knife to the child. 

"This is an ancient knife that was created to permanently kill most demonic entities," Seungkwan informs him.

Asmodeus sucks in a breath, "Where did you get that?"

"That's for me to know," Seungkwan smiles and presses a finger to his lip in secret. "You really shouldn't have gotten in the way of my book."

"All this for a book!" Asmodeus screams.

"I do hold a grudge," Seungkwan sings. 

He looks over to the child. The boy is observing the knife carefully in his hand. "Are you sure this will kill him?" The boy asks.

"Most certainly."

Apparently, that's all the child needs to hear. He steps forward to the edge of the devil's trap and raises the knife in the air before plunging it deep into the demon's shoulder. The demon cries out. Orange sparks crackle and glow inside the body and then flicker out. 

A lifeless body falls to the ground.

Seungkwan turns to the kid. The knife clatters out his hand, and he falls to his knees, sobbing. Seungkwan steps forward. He grabs the blade and cleans the blood off with a spell. He holds the blade in front of the child.

Tears are falling down the boy's cheeks as he looks up at Seungkwan. "What?"

"It's yours," Seungkwan tells him. He's still unsure what is compelling him to act like this, but he has always had a soft spot for kids.

The boy grabs the knife, "But why?"

Seungkwan shrugs. "I've got about twelve different other ways to kill a demon. I won't miss the knife. Trust me." He stops to really look at the boy. "Are you okay?"

The child sniffs. He rubs his snotty nose with the back of his hand. He shakes his head, "No. I thought I would, but…"

"That hole is still there?" Seungkwan inputs. He knows that feeling. He's been there before. 

The boy nods. He cries even harder. He looks like a kicked puppy. 

Seungkwan doesn't like to see crying children, so he asks, "What's your name?"

"Vernon," He manages to say through his tears.

Seungkwan reaches out and pats the boy's head, ruffling his hair. "Hi, Vernon. I'm Seungkwan. You can't stay here and be found with a body. You need to move."

Vernon sniffs again. He looks over his shoulder, "I brought a shovel to hide the body."

Seungkwan smiles sadly. "It's okay, I got it." He snaps his fingers and says, "Ignis." Flames erupt behind him and engulf the body. The fire is short-lived, and within a few seconds, only ash sits on the floor.

"Thank you," Vernon says, still crying. "Thank you for helping me."

"Ah, well, I didn't like that demon anyway. He had it coming. But you really need to go; Asmodeus really has terrible friends. They might go out looking for you."

"I can take care of myself," Vernon says.

Seungkwan can't help but chuckle.

"I can!" Vernon announces. "I'm thirteen."

He looks younger than thirteen, but he's still a child. "Sure," Seungkwan agrees, patting him one more time on the head. 

Vernon tries to collect himself and stop crying. He pulls up his shirt and wipes his face. He sets it down and starts to look around the cabin. He grabs two shotguns and then starts walking outside. Seungkwan is curious and follows him.

Behind the cabin is a mint-colored classic buggy parked in the forest. Seungkwan is about to ask who the car belongs to, but he sees Vernon fish some keys out of his back pocket. Well, that answers that.

Seungkwan does not help at all. He just watches Vernon go back and forth between the cabin and his car to load up the supplies. When Vernon has emptied out the last of the holy water outside and put the buckets in the trunk of the car, he has stopped crying, but Seungkwan can see the boy is still shaky.

"And where do you think you're going?" Seungkwan asks him as he amusedly watches the kid enter the driver's side.

"Home," Vernon says.

"Yeah, with what license?"

Vernon pulls out a fake driver's license from his wallet. Something tugs him toward Vernon that he can't quite explain. "Get out. I'm driving."

Vernon raises an eyebrow but gets into the passenger side. Seungkwan climbs inside and then stares in confusion at the wheel, realizing that it's a stick shift. He kind of skipped over the need to drive cars during this period and preferred traveling by using his powers of persuasion and convincing others to drive him places instead.

"What?" Vernon asks with a smirk. "Don't you know how to drive?"

"Of course, I know how to drive. I'm 313 years old!" Seungkwan snaps. 

Turns out, Seungkwan is a terrible driver. The car keeps jumping back and forth with the change in gears. He only lasts five minutes before switching with Vernon. Despite the embarrassment, he's determined to get the kid home safely, and then he'll leave. 

He watches Vernon from the corner of his eyes. At second glance, he notices different things about the boy. He sees a long scar at the back of his neck stretch to the back of his ear. There are more healed scars across his hands. Hunting battle scars, Seungkwan assumes. His eyes are still rimmed red, and his nosy is a puffy pink, but he's stopped crying. That's bad. A normal child would have continued crying. It's traumatizing to kill anyone, let alone a demon and this child did it without hesitation. It makes Seungkwan sad enough to ask, "You were raised by hunters, right?"

Vernon nods. "All my life. I was shooting vamps since I could carry a shotgun," he says this proudly.

That's why. Hunters brought into this life are always too comfortable with the dark shadows of the world. "Then why aren't you scared of me?" Seungkwan asks next. "Hunters don't favor witches." 

Vernon steals a quick glance at him and then turns back to the road, "My parents knew a witch. She was a good one, she helped us from time to time. I liked her, she smelled nice, and she was all about crystals and auras. Up until…"

Seungkwan hums in acknowledgment. He has heard about these new-wave witches, but he hasn't interacted with them. He knows very few of them; witches tend to get corrupted by power sooner or later. But, he still doesn't know why he feels a pull with the kid. He can sense some power running through him, but he has to actively pay attention to it—a spark if you will. 

"Is that why you asked me if I was a good witch?" Seungkwan questions after a moment.

"Yup. Only bad witches are old and ugly."

"Then why did you ask?"

Vernon glances away from the road to smile broadly at him. His eyes are still red, but Seungkwan feels fondness fill him.

Seungkwan reaches over and slaps the back of the boy's head. Vernon laughs, and Seungkwan pouts. 

"Are you a witch?" Seungkwan asks next, genuinely curious about whatever spark he can feel. 

"Me? A witch? Nah. Definitely not. I'm a hunter. I like hunting." Vernon's hands tighten on the steering wheel. 

Seungkwan doesn't miss the way Vernon's eyes are starting to tear again. "You miss them?" 

"Every day. I've spent the last nine months tracking down my parent's killer. It wasn't easy, but I did it. But, I'm still all on my own."

"You don't have anyone? Grandparents? A family friend?"

"No one."

It's been three hundred years, but Seungkwan still remembers the ache of losing his entire family to a horde of demons. So, he's proud of himself for making sure this child gets home safely. 

Vernon shoots his gun blindly inside his home. The bullet impales into the wood, sending splinters everywhere. He hears a woman scream in fright, so Vernon shoots again in the direction of the noise. It's a bad idea. His gun flies out of his hand. 

He gasps and runs down the hall into his living room. He grabs the spare shotgun behind the couch and holds it ready.

The door flies off its hinges, and Vernon immediately begins shooting. The bullets never meet their target, and his gun is sent flying much like the other one.

Vernon watches it collide uselessly across the ground. He turns back to meet the eyes of the intruders. They're twin brothers. Vernon had killed their elder sister on a hunt a week ago. He made the mistake of not researching enough about this witch to realize that she had a family. 

The brothers aren't here for a discussion. They're here to take revenge.

Vernon fears for his life. He knows how this ends. Sooner or later, a hunter is always killed. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

Suddenly, the windows shatter behind him. Vernon ducks and covers his head as he drops to the floor. He chances a glance at the twin witches and sees them crash against the wall. 

They quickly stand to their feet and curse. "Seungkwan," They utter in unison. Seungkwan? 

Vernon snaps his head to the window and sees Seungkwan climb through. There's a slight tinge of purple to his eyes. He lifts his hands and starts chanting. 

The brothers' eyes open wide, and they start chanting as well, but it's no match. Twin bolts of purple lightning shoot out of Seungkwan's palms and impale against the brothers' chest. They scream as the lightning overtakes them. It circulates across their entire body, and Seungkwan does not let up. He approaches closer, and his chanting comes on faster and more powerful. Seungkwan then closes his palm, and the purple lightning gathers between the brothers' eyes, and they fall dead to the ground. 

"Ignis," Seungkwan mutters. The bodies catch in flames and then disappear.

Vernon slowly stands to his feet. His heart is thudding against his chest. 

It's been a few months since Seungkwan drove him home, and he hasn't heard from the witch since.

The slight purple haze in Seungkwan's eyes disappears, and he looks at the mess in the house. "Why were witches after you?" 

At first, Vernon doesn't know what to say, so he mutters and awkward, "Hi?"

A smile tugs at Seungkwan's lips. "Sorry, hi. Your voice sounds deeper."

"Yeah, I uh…"

"Why were witches after you?"

"I killed their sister."

"You killed their sister?"

"Yes?"

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"Huh, I'm impressed. It was entirely reckless, by the way, but still, impressed." Seungkwan steps back and looks up at the ceiling. His eyes narrow.

"I'm sorry, but why are you here?"

Seungkwan looks back at him. "I was already after the twins. They stole some potent magical ingredients from me, and I tracked them here. Good thing I arrived just in time."

"Yeah."

Vernon expects an awkward silence to settle, but Seungkwan hums and looks back up at the ceiling. 

"So, I can tell there's strong warding built into the framework of this house, but it's fading...and there aren't any against witches. You should fix that."

"My parents were the ones who set the wards."

"They did a great job, but it can definitely be improved." Seungkwan continues, "I can show you how to set it as magic, but you will have to do it yourself."

"But I'm not a witch."

"It's easy enough. C'mon. I'll even strengthen the wards already in place for you."

"You can do that?"

Seungkwan chuckles. "I can do anything." He snaps his fingers, and the shattered window and the damaged walls all repair themselves.

Vernon smiles in delight. He doesn't fear Seungkwan like the other witches. He can tell he's different, so it's effortless to say, "Okay, let's do it."

Seungkwan nods. He sits on the couch, and Vernon sits beside him. Seungkwan mutters something, and he pulls a basket from his pocket. The basket grows in size, and then he pulls out a bunch of leather, string, bones, powders, and roots.

Vernon freezes. "These are hex bags."

"Yes?"

"Only dark witches use them." Hex bags are witches preferred cursed objects. They're usually filled with newborn baby bones, cat organs, even human body parts. They are often employed to curse someone with physical ailment and death. To produce an effect, hex bags need to be in physical contact with, or at least close proximity to, the intended victim; the person will die if that is what the spell caster intends. Once someone is being subdued, the only way out is to find the bag and burn it.

Seungkwan rolls his eyes. "You said your parent's friend was a witch, right?"

Vernon nods slowly. "She used crystals; dark witches can use those too. Hex bags are the same. Bad and good ones can use them. It just depends on the ingredients. Hex bags can do all sorts of things. C'mon, these are just for warding and protection, no torturing involved."

"What are the bones then?" Vernon eyes them warily. 

"Baby bird bones. Not a child's bone. See?" Seungkwan picks it up and shows a chipped beak to Vernon. 

Vernon takes a deep breath. He weighs the pros and cons quickly. He doesn't see any cursed items or any of the typical icky witchy ingredients. "Okay," He says simply. 

Based on the way Seungkwan quickly killed the twin witches, tells him Seungkwan could easily end him as well. But he hasn't. So he must be good. 

Seungkwan smiles. "So, when you are building these, it's always important to set the bones first. It lays the foundation. Next come the roots. Mugwort and Rue. Both can deter other witches, but together they can bind into existing wards and strengthen them. Then we set the Mullein powder, which is just ground up flower petals, and last, three drops of good old witch hazel oil. You gather it all up in the center of the leather and tie the string, and that's it. Now you try."

"But I don't practice magic. It won't seal."

"This doesn't really require magic. There's a lot of spells and potions that even hunters can do. You just need to be properly taught. All people can perform some sort of magic, but witches can perform high-level spells."

"I didn't know that."

"Hunters think they know everything about what they hunt, but they don't bother learning about the culture of different creatures. Every creature has them from vampires, werewolves, ghosts, even gnomes."

Vernon snorts. "Gnomes aren't real."

Seungkwan raises an eyebrow. 

"No…."

"I met one about sixty years ago. They were very rude."

"So….what's the culture of witches?"

"I'm not telling you. It would make it easier for you to hunt us."

Vernon raises an eyebrow. "You just killed two witches yourself."

"Yeah, but they stole from me. What if you go after one of my friends?"

"I won't." Vernon pauses. "Unless they give me a reason to hunt them."

Seungkwan stares at him for a while. "You're genuinely curious?"

"I think I just want to know, so I don't offend you."

"Offend me?"

"You did help me. Twice."

"I promise I won't make a habit out of it."

Vernon smiles. He reaches forward and follows what Seungkwan did. Then he shakes one of the finished hex bags.

Seungkwan stares again and grins. He reaches forward and starts building another hex bag, and Vernon does as well. As they work together, Seungkwan finally says, "Well...according to the Grand Coven, there are three kinds of recognized witches. The most common are the borrowers. Those who harness the power of a demon to practice the art. Those are the ones you regularly hunt. Secondly, are the rarest of all, are the naturals. Those who are born with the gift."

"Like you?" Vernon grins. 

Seungkwan smirks in response. 

Vernon finishes the next hex bag. "What's the third?

"We call them students. They have no natural ability, but with enough training and a grand coven approved mentor to show them the path, they can produce a modicum of witchly power." Seungkwan pauses and bluntly asks, "Do you want me to be your mentor?" 

Vernon gapes. A witch? Him? He wants to laugh, but he doesn't want to be rude either. His parents taught him better than that. He smiles politely and says, "I wouldn't even be a strong witch. But thank you for the offer.

Seungkwan hums. He doesn't say anything more. They work in comfortable silence for another twenty minutes until they have a few dozen hex bags. 

"Okay, you are going to set these in the directional corners of each room. I'll help since this is a lot, but let me know when you are about to set the last one so I can exit before you set it. Got it?"

Vernon nods. They gather the hex bags in their arms and begin working. Vernon goes to his room first and operates in silence as he places them in discrete areas. He's stuck on Seungkwan's offer. Why would the witch even offer to train him? Has that been Seungkwan's plan all along? 

He heads to the next room. 

He doesn't see any harm in becoming a witch, but truly, the offer doesn't interest him. Magic and potions and spells don't fascinate him. He feels most comfortable with a gun in his hand. 

As he sets the last hex bag down, he suddenly hears a high-pitched screech and then the sound of broken glass. Vernon gasps. He rushes to the living room and sees the window completely shattered. Cautiously, he steps forward and looks out of the window. Oh shit. He forgot.

Seungkwan rolls over and groans, "I thought I told you to tell me."

"Sorry!" Vernon cries out.

Seungkwan takes a moment to stand on his feet, complaining up a storm. When he finally stops, he places a tentative hand on where the window would be—a barrier of swirling multicolor shimmers across his fingertips. "The wards work. This place is now warded against witches."

Vernon frowns. "So….you won't be able to come in. At all?" 

Seungkwan shakes his head.

"Is there any way?"

"You would have to give me permission."

"Like a vampire."

"Essentially, yes."

"Then, Seungkwan, you can come and go as you please or whatever, you know?"

Vernon watches Seungkwan stare back at him in confusion, but after a moment, Seungkwan sighs. "You're a strange one, Vernon."

He grins in response. 

Vernon is working on his first case with Choi Seungcheol. He's determined not to come off like an idiot. He's idolized Seungcheol's family for years. He remembers his own parents working with Seungcheol's family a handful of times, but they never formed an alliance. It's best not to make connections as a hunter as monsters and demons love to use it as leverage. But Vernon doesn't have anyone right now, and as far as he knows, all of Seungcheol's family is dead too. He needs this. 

They're currently hunting a witch. She's been sneaking hex bags in people's homes that have been causing people to die in mysterious ways. The last man had coughed up razor blades after eating a piece of candy. The witch is clearly getting some sick twisted sense of pleasure from all the torture she is inflicting. 

They had been able to save the last man from a similar fate by locating the hex bag underneath the sink and burning it before the man could choke to death. While saving him is great, they need to locate the witch before they hurt any others. But the witch has been extremely elusive. 

Vernon is currently sitting on a gross motel bed with a book in his hand as he watches Seungcheol pace back and forth in front of the right wall. They had set up notes and clues in hopes of locating the witch, but they keep getting met with dead ends. Seungcheol looks ready to break. Vernon sighs. 

"Maybe, let's grab dinner?" Vernon asks. It will probably give them a small little break to approach this case from a different perspective. 

Seungcheol doesn't hear him. 

Vernon twists his mouth to the side in thought. Okay, he'll just get them dinner. He tells Seungcheol he'll be back in twenty minutes, but he's ignored. Vernon nods and leaves the motel room anyway. 

He walks into the street and looks at the shops to see which one is still open at this late hour. Luckily, the bright light of a spicy noodle shop is still open. He speed walks toward it and flinches at the fluorescent lighting inside. There's a young college student at the register. She asks what he wants as Vernon glances at the menu posted above her. There are only three choices. He doesn't know if Seungcheol likes spicy food or not, so he just orders the mildest noodles just in case. He orders one for himself and pays with the few bills he has crumpled in his pockets. 

The woman tells him it will be a ten-minute wait.

Vernon nods. He turns on his heel and looks at the only three tables inside the shop. Immediately, he freezes. They both do.

Vernon sees Seungkwan sitting at the table closest to the door in between taking a large bite of noodles into his mouth. 

They stare at each other in shock for a few moments. He hasn't seen Seungkwan in about two years. He's a little surprised to see that Seungkwan hasn't aged at all. Licking his lips, Vernon steps forward and takes the seat in front of Seungkwan.

Seungkwan swallows uncomfortably, but then he smiles. "Hey!" 

Vernon is a little peeved at the greeting. Seungkwan had disappeared from his life after granting him permission into his home. No word. No note. Nothing…but Seungkwan doesn't owe him anything, right? He's the one who should be thanking him. Saving him, helping him, Seungkwan has done a lot for him. 

He squashes the feeling down. It's best to just forgive and forget anyway. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?" Seungkwan immediately asks.

Vernon thinks it over for half a second. Seungkwan couldn't be the witch, could he? Only one way to find out, "I'm hunting a witch."

He waits for Seungkwan's reaction. He only stuffs another mouthful of noodles and hums.

"We can't find the witch," Vernon says slowly.

"Oh, you won't find her. Razor blades, right?"

"Yes...how did you…"

"I ran into her a few days ago."

"...Is she your friend?"

"Not really; otherwise, I would be helping her."

Vernon frowns and leans over the table. "So, you would do something like that?"

"If the human deserved it. Then yes."

Vernon pales for a second. He shakes it off and does his best to remind himself that Seungkwan is a witch. 

As he tries to regain his composure, Seungkwan asks, "How old are you now? It's been a while."

"I just turned fifteen a few months ago."

"Happy late birthday, then."

"Thanks...so what are you doing here?"

"Just passing through." 

He doesn't appear to be lying, so Vernon lets it go. He returns the conversation to the case, "So why wouldn't I find her?"

"She's good with cloaking spells. She can be right in front of you, and you wouldn't even see her."

"You mean she turns herself invisible?"

"Not really. She would just appear as if she's meant to be there."

Vernon crosses his arms and leans forward, "So how would I locate her?"

Seungkwan reaches for a napkin and wipes his mouth, and takes a sip from an iced coffee that's beside him. "Are you asking me to help you hunt a witch?"

"Would you not help me?"

Seungkwan seems thrown off by the question. "She's done me no harm. I don't see a reason to hunt her."

Vernon's eyes bulge in shock, "She's killed five humans."

"But did they deserve it?"

"You can't just do things like that even if they did. It's murder."

"Eh, I would call it karma. I'm a big believer in her."

Vernon isn't so sure about his read on Seungkwan anymore. He leans back in his chair and scrutinizes Seungkwan for a long moment. Seungkwan is looking back at him nonchalantly, sipping from his iced coffee. 

"You know," Seungkwan sets his coffee down and stops smiling. He fiddles with his straw looking at it distantly. "Witches and all us monsters would call what you do murder as well."

"We're saving people."

"By hunting us down like game."

"That's different."

Seungkwan's smile returns as he looks back at Vernon. "Is it?" Before Vernon can retort, Seungkwan pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket. He mutters a spell, and then ink spreads across the empty page. Black swirls dance from edge to edge until Vernon sees what looks like a recipe.

Seungkwan pushes the paper toward him. "This will help you locate the witch. It's a potion and a simple recitation right after."

"I can't do any magic," Vernon reminds him.

"It's not any magic that comes from you. It's all in the ingredients. Like the hex bags remember?"

Vernon nods slowly. He looks over at it carefully. The ingredients are simple enough and things he can even find at a grocery store. However, the incantation looks extremely complicated. He doesn't even know how to pronounce these words. And as if Seungkwan is reading his mind, Seungkwan says the incantation. Vernon listens closely. 

A brief thought enters his mind that Seungkwan could be lying. He could be in cahoots with the witch...but even with their conversation, Vernon still finds himself trusting him.

He grabs the paper and folds into his pocket. 

A bell rings, and then he hears the crinkle of paper. Seconds pass and the woman sets his order down on the table in front of them, wrapped neatly in a plastic bag. 

She walks off.

Vernon has to know, "Why?"

Seungkwan looks at something over his shoulder for a brief second and then looks back at him, "Because you're a good kid, Vernon. And...she deserves it." 

Vernon doesn't know what to say in reply. He stands to his feet with the food and the spell in his pocket. He returns to the motel an hour later than he told Seungcheol he would. As soon as he opens the door, Seungcheol gasps a huge sigh of relief and walks toward him quickly.

"Where were you? I called you several times!" Seungcheol cries out.

Vernon awkwardly digs in his pocket for his cellphone. Dead. "Sorry," He mutters, showing Seungcheol the blank screen.

Seungcheol looks like he wants to scream, but he holds it back and releases an exasperated huff when Vernon holds up the bag of food. "I bought us dinner."

"Thanks." Seungcheol smiles and takes it from him.

He sits on the bed and begins to unpack the containers. Vernon shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot, holding the other plastic bag in his hand with the ingredients that Seungkwan listed. While he's thinking of how to bring this up to Seungcheol, the older man asks, "What's that?"

"Uhhh...I thought we could try something to find the witch."

"With what?"

Vernon takes a step forward that he hopes to convey as confidence. He sits on the ground and starts to pull out the ingredients one by one. The biggest purchase he made was a giant pot that completely wiped out his savings. He hopes this works—otherwise, he's going to be surviving off instant ramen for nothing again, and he doesn't know how much constipation he can take with that. 

"I uhhh found a type of spell to locate the witch...in a book," Vernon lies.

Seungcheol pauses midway in opening his box of noodles. Slowly, he sets the styrofoam box beside him, and he stands. Vernon sees the way Seuncheol's fingers twitch as if he is stopping himself from reaching for the gun tucked at the waistband of his jeans. 

Vernon takes a deep breath. "It's not exactly magic. The magic is in the ingredients. I'm not using any magic to cast it. I'm just putting it all together, almost like a hex bag."

"...and where did you say you found this again?"

"In my parents' books," Vernon lies again. He doesn't want Seungcheol to find out about Seungkwan. He doesn't know Seungcheol that well yet. He doesn't know how he would react to the news that he got this information from a witch. 

"Okay. So you think you can do it?"

Vernon scans the ingredients on the ground and repeats the incantation in his head, "Yes, I believe so."

Seungcheol sits in front of him. Vernon gets to work and does his best to place the exact amount in the pot by memory.

Unknown to Vernon, outside their motel, Seungkwan stands on the street looking up ahead. He waits and feels. A spark of magic ignites inside the motel, and the witch smiles. But it's not a happy one. It curls inside his mouth, and his brows wrinkle in worry. 

That was no simple locator spell. It was advanced magic...

Seungkwan is back home in Jeju. He needs more ginger root for a spell, and he's too lazy to actually harvest the damn plant itself. Plus, it's cheaper to get it from the store. He's about to pay for his ginger along with some shrimp chips when his eyes turn to the conveyor belt when someone dumps something heavy. It's a 15-kilogram salt bag. He didn't even know they sold salt at that size. 

He turns to the person who had set the salt and stops. He quickly smiles and greets, "Vernon!"

Vernon drops another bag of salt onto the conveyor belt and then gasps. "Seungkwan! Oh wow, what a coincidence running to you here. It is a coincidence, right?"

Seugkwan briefly turns to the clerk to pay and steps to the side to let Vernon have his turn.

"Yeah, I um...I actually live here."

"In Jeju? Neat."

Seungkwan nods politely. It's been a few months since he last saw Vernon and gave him that locator spell. He's pretty sure that this fifteen-year-old kid is a witch, even though Vernon might not know it yet. And he's not just any witch—he's a natural-born witch. 

He waits for Vernon to pay, and they walk out together.

"Are you here on a case?" Seungkwan asks, pointing to the salt in Vernon's cart.

"Yeah, just a simple salt and burn. Thanks for the last case, by the way. That locator thing you gave me really helped."

Seungkwan thins his lips, following Vernon to his car. "Happy to help," He mutters. 

Knowing that Vernon is a witch intrigues him. It's probably why he's drawn to him. He's only ever met a handful of natural witches, and he really wants to get to know this one. 

"Invite me to the case," Seungkwan says shamelessly.

Vernon almost drops the salt as he's loading it into the trunk of his car. "I'm sorry."

"I've never been on a ghost hunt. It will be fun, right?"

Vernon stares at him for a moment, completely dumbfounded, but finally nods and agrees.

They arrive hours later at a graveyard. Vernon has two hula hoops thrown over his shoulder, two shovels in each hand, and a bag of salt balanced on his shoulder. Seungkwan helps by carrying a single shotgun in his two hands. 

They arrive at an unmarked grave, and Vernon flops to the ground. Seungkwan joins him and watches Vernon pull the hula hoop apart and rip the salt bag open. The fifteen-year-old starts to pour salt directly into the hula hoop. Seungkwan watches on with confusion. 

"Seungcheol says it's ridiculous, but I think it's pretty smart. Ghosts are always blowing away our salt circles, and then we're left defenseless."

"Whose Seungcheol?"

"He's this hunter friend I work with sometimes. He's really cool. He sometimes comes over and stays at my place."

Seungkwan tilts his head and smirks as he watches the kid light up. It's the first time he hears him talk about someone so fondly. "So, do you like him?" He teases.

"Of course, I like him. Oh. OH!" Vernon's face twists into something that looks like an over-exaggerated expression, but Seungkwan can see it is very genuine. It makes him want to ruffle his hair. "You mean like LIKE him? Uhhh no. I don't really have a gender preference, but Seungcheol he's not my type. He's more like a big brother, and I think he and Jeonghan have this thing. I only met Jeonghan once, but I can tell they are both into each other. Even if they are both stubborn."

Seungkwan's smile drops. "Jeonghan?" He whispers. He's heard that name before. 

"What?" Vernon asks, not hearing him. 

"The name sounds familiar, sorry. Must be a coincidence." It probably isn't. He'll conjure a memory spell and dig the name up earlier. "So you stuff salt in the hula hoop, and then what?"

"We place it on the ground and step in the hula hoop, and we dig?"

Seungkwan shakes his head. "I'm sorry, did I hear that, right? We?"

"Yeah, it will make it go faster." Vernon stands to his feet and grabs both shovels. Oh, now Seungkwan knows why he brought two. 

"Why can't I just use my magic to transfer the bones here?"

"We can try that, but I don't know if you want to mix your magic with haunted bones."

"I guess you make a point."

"Great! To begin digging."

Seungkwan complains loudly but takes the shovel. He feels silly stepping into the hula hoop that Vernon drops at his feet. He can feel the purity that the salt brings that naturally creates a barrier against ghosts and most demons. 

He digs the shovel and grunts at the hard earth beneath his feet. He barely makes a dent. Seungkwan glances at Vernon and watches him press the shovel into the dirt and use his weight to dig the shovel deeper. Seungkwan mimics him.

"Soooo," Vernon starts after a moment. "You said you're 300 years old?"

"315," Seungkwan clarifies.

"Oh, but you don't look 315."

Seungkwan snorts, "What? Did you expect me to be a haggard thing of just skin and bones?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"That wouldn't be too pleasant."

"So how is it you look like you're in your twenties?"

"I stopped aging at twenty-eight. I think? It's hard to remember that far back."

"How come?"

"I did a high-level ritual where I ate an emu's liver to stop aging."

"You ate what?!" 

"I'm kidding," Seungkwan waves him off. "The emu ate my liver," He says just to watch Vernon splutter. The kid doesn't disappoint. "Truthfully, these five witches helped me. I had five mentors when I was learning my craft, and they helped me perfect the ritual. I'm not exactly immortal. I can still die; I just won't age."

"Oh. That sounds neat. I guess. What do you mean you had mentors? I thought you were a natural witch?"

"Natural in the sense that magic comes easily to me. I still needed help learning about spells, rituals, and potions, and such. The women were incredibly helpful to me growing up." He pauses digging and wonders for a moment if he should reveal anything about his life before learning witchcraft. He doesn't know what compels him to give in. "My entire family and village were killed when I was only sixteen. I was spared because my magic had saved me. I didn't know at the time I was a witch then. I was very lost for many years, but these women took me under their wing and trained me. They were very kind. I jokingly call them my Wonder Girls." 

Vernon stops digging and leans against his shovel. "Are they still alive?"

"Yes, although I don't think they're currently in the country. You won't be hunting them any time soon. If they're on your radar, then you need to run; they are very powerful witches."

Vernon surprises him with a chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever get another witch case again."

He resumes digging. They both do. Most of the time, Seungkwan complains—he's not used to hard labor! He can't remember the last time he's worked this hard. An hour passes, and Seungkwan is completely drenched in sweat. He hates it. But finally, they reach the coffin. They have to ditch the hula hoops to open it, and as soon as they do, both are blasted into the air. 

Great...why did he come again? 

Vernon digs through his collection of supernatural books to start compiling a witch's lore book. Since he's met Seungkwan, he's been researching them. There are so much and so many different versions of them across periods and cultures. Vernon has been having difficulty separating fact from fiction.

He wishes he could just call Seungkwan and ask for his help, but he doesn't have the witch's number, and he hasn't run into him since the ghost case three years ago. He knows he can dig up the locator spell he used a few years ago, but for some reason, that feels like breaking Seungkwan's trust. 

So, he does his research the hard way—with little sleep, too much coffee, and instant ramen as his best friend. 

He hasn't been researching only witches, though. Over the years, he's begun to compile lore of other creatures and even demons. He's begun to learn how to trace electrical currents and their connection to demons. Sometimes, if he's lucky, he can track a demon before it hits its next target.

Most of the time, he's largely unsuccessful.

Something heavy clatters in the kitchen.

Vernon looks up from his desk and peeks in the direction of it. A second later, Wonwoo appears and marches past him covered in kimchi sauce. Vernon thins his lips to stop from chuckling as Wonwoo heads to his room to change.

It's been a little under a year since Mingyu and Wonwoo have moved in with him. One day, Seungcheol had appeared with two college students behind him. They had looked completely traumatized and shaken. Vernon had learned that he hadn't caught the electrical currents fast enough, and it resulted in the death of Wonwoo's boyfriend. He still feels guilty over it. 

The two have become hunters. Seungcheol and Vernon have trained them in everything they know and have even taken them on a few small cases before. 

As much as Vernon loves their company, he wishes the two didn't have to do this. Hunters brought up in families and hunters who are brought from trauma experience the world through different lenses. 

Vernon sees this in Wonwoo. While Vernon researchers witches for fun and better understand them, Wonwoo researchers demons impulsively. Sometimes Vernon catches him at three in the morning sitting in the living room pouring over the internet and books with a crazed look in his eye. 

They haven't located the demon that killed his boyfriend yet, and Vernon doubts they will. If Jeonghan wasn't able to name the demon, their chances of uncovering it dwindle to basically nothing. 

Wonwoo wants to go out into the field and begin hunting demons, but Seungcheol hasn't cleared them yet. Hunting demons is much different than hunting ghosts or ghouls. Even with Vernon's demon-killing knife, killing one is still tricky.

Hell, Seungcheol barely cleared Mingyu to accompany him on a witch case. 

Speaking of which, they should be back soon. Seungcheol had called him a few hours ago that they had finished up the case and were driving back. 

Right on cue, as Wonwoo reemerges from his room in a clean sweater, Seungcheol's car can be heard. The engine sputters as the car is set into park. A door opens, and Seungcheol walks into the room with a shy, uncomfortable smile.

"What happened?" Wonwoo immediately asks.

Mingyu enters the next, whining and pouting, "I hate witches!" His voice is higher-pitched, and Vernon can definitely see why.

Standing in front of them is what looks like an eight-year-old child—an eight-year-old Mingyu. Vernon can't help but laugh. 

He stands to his feet and approaches Mingyu. He's a cute kid, especially since he's still wearing the clothes he had left three days ago. They are entirely too big on him and hang over his entire body. 

Mingyu shoots him a glare.

"The case with the witches didn't go well?" Vernon asks.

"What do you think?" Mingyu snaps at him. 

Even a small smile cracks on Wonwoo's lips.

"We ganked the witch that was ripping out men's hearts, but there was a second witch," Seungcheol explains. He digs inside the pockets of his leather jacket and hands a note to Vernon. "His name was Seungkwan or something like that. He was genuinely trying to help us, but Mingyu insulted him, and the witch didn't take kindly to that, and Mingyu woke up the next day like this."

Vernon opens the note and sees a list of ingredients and directions with Seungkwan's name signed at the bottom.

"I figured since you taught us how to make hex bags and you did that locator spell, it would be safest to have you put Mingyu back to normal," Seungcheol says.

"How can you even trust the witch! He made me like this!" Mingyu cries. He crosses his arms over his chest and pouts—Seungcheol coos at him. 

Vernon snorts. "Okay, I think we have this stuff in the cupboards."

Wonwoo looks over his shoulder and takes the note from him to gather the supplies that are in the kitchen. 

Mingyu glares up at him. It's a little weird since he's so used to seeing Mingyu so tall. "I don't know if I trust you with this," Mingyu whines. "You can't even make potato pancakes!" 

It's true, Vernon had tried to follow Mingyu's directions but nearly burned his own kitchen last week. 

"What if you turn me into a frog?!"

"I'll try not to."

Seungcheol laughs and crashes on the couch, "You would be so much easier to take care of if you were a frog."

Mingyu's pout grows even larger as he puffs out his cheeks. 

"I promise I won't," Vernon assures him. 

Wonwoo returns minutes later with the ingredients. The four of them set the table in the center of the living room with a pot, a mortar, and a pestle. He reads the directions three times and gets to work. There's something simple about these directions that he doesn't get from cooking recipes. They just for some reason….make sense.

Vernon is on a case with Mingyu in Jeju. There have been reports about child kidnappings and the kids appearing with their organs missing on the beachside. At first, it seemed like a case for the authorities, but upon researching the incident further, none of the children had any incision marks. It's as if the organs had just phased through their body.

They looked into it and found it to be a witch. She was harvesting the organs to make herself more powerful. It was sickening.

They had been trying to locate her all over the island but hadn't been successful. After three days, Vernon finally decides to try his luck with the locator spell. 

As soon as he casts it, he expects the exact location to appear floating in multi-colored words like it had last time. Sparkles of light twinkle for a moment above him but then fizzle out.

"Maybe you did it wrong?" Mingyu says beside him.

To which a knock on the door stops him from responding. They glance at each other in confusion for a moment, but Vernon goes to answer the door, not before clicking his gun and concealing it behind the door as he pulls it open.

Seungkwan's presence never fails to surprise him. He pulls the door open all the way, and Mingyu behind him says, "Seungkwan!" Before he can, which is probably for the best. He hasn't told the others he knows the witch. He wants to keep it that way, especially since Mingyu and Wonwoo have absolute disdain for anything that isn't human. 

Seungkwan doesn't look at Mingyu. He stares straight at Vernon, smiles, and says, "I thought I sensed some magic on my island."

"Your island?" Mingyu barks out. 

"I live here," Seungkwan tells him. He steps inside without an invitation and goes to sit on the bed. 

Vernon notices that Seungkwan is carrying an iced coffee. The witch sips from it as he crosses his leg. "So, what are two hunters doing on my island?"

Seungkwan doesn't make any introductions or any mention that he knows him, which he appreciates. He cuts straight to the chase since Seungkwan has always proven helpful. "We're looking for a witch. She's harvesting child organs."

Seungkwan's eyes darken. "Have you tried the locator spell I gave you?"

"Gave?" Mingyu questions. 

Vernon ignores Mingyu's question. "I uh...it didn't work. Maybe if you cast it?" 

Seungkwan sips from his coffee in thought and then sets it down, "If the locator spell isn't working and I haven't sensed any magic since you arrived...then...are you sure it's a witch?"

"It looks like it," Vernon says. "It would be a transplant spell, right?" Seungkwan raises an eyebrow. Vernon feels his ears get hot. It's not like him to get flustered, "I've been researching magic."

Seungkwan looks away from him and then at Mingyu. "If it's not a witch, it's probably a Berchta."

Mingyu turns to Vernon, "What's that?"

"A hag," Vernon answers. "I thought hags and witches were the same things?"

It's the first time Seungkwan glares at him. Vernon feels slightly sheepish. "They're not!" Seungkwan snaps. He stands and starts nagging at both of them. "How could you lump me with those gross creatures! I thought you knew me better than that!"

"You turned me into a child. My opinion of you is pretty low of you right now," Mingyu states, crossing his arms. 

"I was talking about Vernon."

"What?" Mingyu gasps. 

Vernon flinches, Mingyu looks visibly upset. He tries to calm everyone down by asking, "Is this really what we should be talking about? We have a creature hunting kids."

Mingyu narrows his eyes at him, and Vernon can see that Mingyu will file it away for later. He's too bright to let this go. 

"Okay, I've researched Berchtas before, and fire usually kills them. But how do we locate one?" Vernon asks. 

Seungkwan's face hardens. "They like to hide in caves."

"Great!" Vernon announces. "Let's go, then."

Seungkwan glowers at him even further, and Mingyu looks in between them with confusion. "I'll wait in the car. If you're in danger, shoot him." 

Mingyu leaves the room and shuts the door.

Immediately, Seungkwan starts to nag him. "You haven't told your hunter friends about me?"

"Not exactly. They aren't fond of witches."

"I helped your friends, though."

"And turned Mingyu into a kid."

"He called me a wart."

Vernon scrunches his face in confusion at Seungkwan's over-exaggeration, because yes, turning someone into a child for calling you a childish name is certainly exaggerating. 

"Look, it's complicated," Vernon says. 

"Is it?"

Vernon can't help but lose patience. "What? Do you expect me to introduce you to them? We've only met a few times, and the last time I saw you was four years ago."

Seungkwan crosses his arms over his chest. "I was busy."

"Doing what?"

"Looking for someone."

"Who?"

Seungkwan keeps his mouth shut for a long pause. His eyes drift to the ground with a sad expression. Vernon is struck dumbfounded. Has he hurt Seungkwan's feelings that much? He didn't think he would be that affected. Seungkwan sucks in a breath and looks at him, "Do you need help with the hag?"

"Not really."

"Okay then," Seungkwan stands straight. "Goodbye, Vernon."


	2. Chapter 2

~Some things don't work  
Some things are bound to be  
Some things, they hurt  
And they tear apart me  
But I broke my word, and you were bound to see~

Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon roll up in Itaewon. The night is busy with people coming in and out of bars and clubs. There's a low thrum of bass across the street that Vernon can feel inside his chest. It sets him on edge. His eyes scan the crowds of people illuminated by the gaudy lights from every open building. After what feels like ages, the four of them finally push their way through the street and into a small alley. There's a side door to a small club that they have been investigating for the past week. Apparently, girls had been striking deals with a demon to get big and famous, but the demon wasn't meeting their end of the deal and instead was sex trafficking young teenage girls. 

It makes Vernon sick, but they're closing in on their demon, so this entire operation is about to be shut down.

Seungcheol leads their group and opens the door. He carries a gun in his hand. Vernon walks behind him, holding the demon-killing knife with Wonwoo and Mingyu right behind him, protecting his weak spots. 

They enter the private room, but all four of them are struck dumbfounded by the abandoned room and two dead bodies in the middle of the floor.

Wonwoo shuts the door behind them, and Mingyu walks to the curtain that leads out into the hallway. He stands guard while Vernon, Wonwoo, and Seungcheol investigate the scene. 

One of the bodies looks like a regular man in his thirties. The other one—it's not like any death that Vernon has ever seen. It's lying on its stomach with its face drowning in some black goo.

"Check ID's," Seungcheol says. He stands to look around the room.

Vernon flips over the man and reaches first into the pocket of his suit. He finds a wallet and looks at the name. "This was our demon," Vernon informs them. There had been multiple reports of this man hanging out with young girls in the club, and occasionally, if the light struck him just right—they looked pitch black.

Wonwoo bends his knees to examine the other body. "This body reeks of sulfur. There was a demon inside."

"It smoked out before it could get killed," Seungcheol explains. "I think this sex trafficking ring is more than one demon." 

Mingyu peeks out from behind the curtain, and when he sees no one coming their way, he steps close to Vernon. He gags a bit. "What can even kill a demon like this?"

Vernon spots a ball of some sort by the dead guy's ankle. He pokes it with his knife to get a better look. He realizes that the ball is covered in human skin. Red symbols that are most likely drawn with blood cover the ball in an intricate pattern. It seems familiar—like something that Vernon has seen in his research. He just can't quite remember the name. He does know who might have made it. "Apparently a witch," He tells the group. 

There isn't much else to investigate in the room, and they need to get out of there before the authorities arrive. So they quickly leave the scene and return back to their motel. 

Vernon sits on the floor with one of the queen beds against his back and one earbud playing some indistinct beats in his left ear. 

Mingyu and Wonwoo sit together by the small table with some takeout, while Seungcheol is sitting on the bed, pushing aside his leftovers. 

Vernon extends a hand toward Seungcheol, and Seungcheol hands him the food. He eats whatever remains in the styrofoam box. He's scrolling on his laptop, looking for anything that might resemble whatever dead human ball he found. He wishes he would have brought his book, but fortunately, his research doesn't take that long. 

"So in the 18th century, there were accounts of demons killed by witchcraft," Vernon explains after reading the page. "Apparently, they were vanquished by a spell. Called  _ Defigere et Depurgare, _ which is Latin for 'to bind and purge.'"

Mingyu and Seungcheol shiver in their seats, remembering the grotesque body. 

"You think that's the same kind of spell that took out our demon?" Wonwoo questions. 

"Sounds like it. But from what I can tell, that spell hasn't been used in over 200 years. And it was only ever known by one person...the witch who created it." Vernon sighs and shuts his laptop, fighting the migraine that has suddenly appeared. 

"Which is?"

Vernon grimaces and looks up at them. "Seungkwan."

It's been two years since Seungkwan gave the information about the hag back in Jeju. He hasn't run into him since. Mingyu, Wonwoo, and Seungcheol have encountered the witch in other cases—which is frustrating because it sounds like Seungkwan is avoiding him. 

"Is that going to be a problem?" Seungcheol asks, tone serious.

Vernon shakes his head.

"Isn't he...your friend, though?"

Vernon grunts as he stands to his feet. He throws the laptop across the room onto Seungcheol's bed and ignores Wonwoo flinching. He sits on the remaining chair and peeks over Mingyu's meal to see what's leftover. He spots some dumplings and moves them over to his own plate. 

"He helped me kill a demon when I was a kid. I wouldn't call that a friend," Vernon says. 

He's told the others about his connection to the witch. They were shocked but didn't judge him too much on it—after all, it scored them their only weapon to kill a demon—and at this point, they've encountered him more than he has. 

"Well, we still need to find the other demon that smoked out. We thought we were dealing with one, but it looks like we might be dealing with a horde," Seungcheol states, standing up and stretching. 

"Maybe, finding Seungkwan would be a good idea," Wonwoo says, ignoring Mingyu's indignant squawk. (Just because the others have run into Seungkwan doesn't mean the witch has always been helpful.) "He can help us locate the other demon. If he hasn't found it already and choked it to death. 

Seungcheol nods in agreement, "You should do your weird witch locator thing."

"I'm not a witch," he mutters, but he's already pulling out his phone to locate the nearest grocery store. 

An hour passes, and the four of them are surrounded by a steaming pot without any heat. Vernon drops the ground cumin and a clove of garlic. When the smoke turns a soft blue, Vernon says the locator spell. The other times that Vernon has performed this spell, it has always been easy. He could always feel the name forming in the steam and some sort of heat in the back of his neck. But this, he can actually feel some pushback—literally. It feels like there are two hands on his chest, pushing him back. 

The others stare at him strangely.

Vernon takes a deep breath. He grips the edge of the table and mutters the locator spell again. The force is pushing stronger. Vernon says it once more, his voice rising without meaning to. 

The pot in front of him rattles, and some of the contents spill out. 

Whatever force was pushing against him suddenly stops. Vernon hunches over the pot and table, breathing deeply. A sheen of sweat lines his temple and the back of his neck. What the hell was that?

He glances up and sees the steam over the pot take on shape and color. Soon, it spells out: Shilla Hotel—Presidential Suite. 

The words wisp away, and Vernon is left still with the phantom feeling of two hands against him. 

  


Seungkwan is staring at the skyline from the Presidential Suite at the Shilla Hotel. A room like this goes for nine hundred thousand won a night, but a simple hex bag and a persuasive spell had the concierge handing over the room key without a second thought.

He sips from his white wine and glances over his shoulder over the three eighteen-year-old girls, stuffing whatever food they could fit into their mouths. 

A smile tugs at his lips. He turns back to the skyline. The bottom rim of his wine glass is smooth beneath his thumb—beautifully and elegantly crafted. But, so fragile. Just like these young girls. Despite saving them from the demons, he knows that it won't be easy when their fate catches up with them, far from it. 

He turns away from the giant window and makes his way over to the young girls. They look up at him and grin widely. 

"Thank you again," One of them with dyed blonde hair says. 

Seungkwan nods his head in understanding and takes a seat beside one of them. "Eat your fill, girls, and if you still want more, you can order room service."

The girl who thanked him blushes. "I already did," She reveals.

On cue, a knock is heard on the door. Seungkwan chuckles. "I'll get it." He stands to his feet.

Suddenly, some powerful force is blasting the door open and knocking him against the giant window. Three demons march through the door. Their eyes are pitch black and are glaring at him. 

"Gag him!" One of the demons cries out.

Seungkwan tries to utter a spell, but another supernatural force is pushed against him, and his jaw locks.  _ Fuck _ . He can't cast any spells like this.

He sees the girls run to huddle in the corner of the room, but one of the demons goes after them.

A demon, a twenty-something tall woman, comes toward him. She smiles wickedly at him. She lifts a hand into the air and twists it. Seungkwan falls to the floor with a gasp, but the last demon grabs some tape and immediately cuts him off. He's weak like this, so he can't fight when the demon grabs both his arms and binds rope around his wrists. 

He sneaks a glance at the young girls and sees that they are bound as well. 

"Let's go," The woman says.

The two male demon henchmen nod. 

The demons push them out the door. Seungkwan attempts to say a spell behind the tape, but it's utterly useless.

The woman grabs him by the back of the neck, guiding him forward toward the elevators.

"You're in for a world of hurt when we deliver you to our boss," The woman growls out.

"What about us?" One of the young girls asks. "I'm not returning back to that place."

"Operation skank has been compromised. We're moving to a different location," The woman replies.

Seungkwan struggles even harder against the ropes at those words. But when the doors to the elevator open, his breath stops. 

Vernon and his friends step through, and before any of the demons can react, Vernon pulls out the hunting knife he gave him and stabs it through the woman's chest. Orange lightning flickers inside of her, and then the body drops to the floor.

The other two demons let go of the three young girls and step forward to attack.

Seungkwan sees his opportunity. He turns on his heel and runs. With wide-eyes, he urges the young girls to follow him. They escape with him. He hears a struggle behind him, but he won't turn back. He just won't.

He runs to where he thinks the emergency exit is, but he's left at the dead-end of the hallway.  _ Shit _ . Bless the young girls as they help each other remove their ropes and then take off Seungkwan's gag first. 

"Who are those guys?" One of the gasps out in shock.

"Hunters," Seungkwan answers. He mutters a thank you as the girls take off the rope at his back. "Let's head this way—we can—"

"Seungkwan."

His breath catches again. Slowly, he looks down the hallway and sees Vernon. A body is slumped dead beside him, and Seungkwan is only marginally happy that it's the demon. 

_ "Oh, what a mess. I thought I told you I wanted this quietly done." _

Seungkwan stops himself from rolling his eyes and turns around. 

He sees Chan in a beige blazer with a black t-shirt underneath and hands tucked in his pale blue jeans. He hates associating with demons, but Chan isn't exactly the worse one as far as demons go. Still, he wanted to handle this matter without Vernon's presence. When he felt the hunter using the locator spell, Seungkwan had tried to push back against it...he hadn't been successful. He didn't want Vernon or any of his hunter friends here. 

"You brought reinforcements?" Chan asks, noticing the four hunters. He smiles and bows at them. The hunters look thrown off until he stands straight and flashes his demon eyes. All their guns go up in warning. 

Chan laughs loud and boisterous at the display. It isn't hollow like when other demons do it; it's genuine and almost child-like. He clutches his stomach as he laughs, and when the laughter dies down, he waves his hand, and the guns fly out the hunters' hands.

"Tell you guard dogs that I'm not here to attack anyone. You got the Presidential Suite, right?" Chan brushes past them and heads back to the direction of the room. 

Seungkwan pouts and shouts petulantly, "They aren't my guard dogs." He looks at the young girls, they look shaken, but they understand why Chan is here. They had discussed this. He nods, and the girls head to the room first.

Seungkwan is left alone in the hallway with the hunters. He stands straight and lifts his chin in false bravado.

"What game are you playing at?" Mingyu asks first.

Seungkwan smiles and coos at him, "Something an idiot human like you wouldn't understand."

Mingyu squeaks as predicted. It's boring—Vernon, on the other hand. He's just staring blankly at him. Seungkwan drops his head for a moment and shakes off the weight on his shoulders. Without saying anything, he heads to the room. The hunters are behind him in an instant.

When he arrives, Chan is chatting with the girls with a wine glass in his hand. 

"You must have been so scared. I'm sorry," Chan tells them.

Seungkwan rolls his eyes and steps forward. "Alright, I brought the girls. We had a deal." 

"What?" Vernon asks in shock. He stares between them.

Chan smiles, "We did."

"What is going on," Seungcheol states sternly. It's not a question. Seungkwan has seen Chan break a human's neck with a snap of his fingers for orders like that. But Chan eyes him curiously. Then his eyes fall to Wonwoo. He must see something there that he actually answers.

"Seongsu has not been following through with his demon deals and has been running human trafficking schemes behind my back. I mean, I'm a demon, but human trafficking is just tacky. Seongsu had been striking demon deals with young girls. Fame and fortune for ten years in exchange for their souls."

"What?" Wonwoo barks out in anger. It's the first time Seungkwan has heard him raise his voice. 

Chan smiles. "I'm a crossroads demon, the leader in fact. And I take my job very seriously. Humans find us, and we give them whatever they want in exchange for their souls, but these young girls weren't being treated fairly on the contract that was drawn. When I found out Seongsu was betraying me, I asked Seungkwan to terminate him in exchange for some information."

Seungkwan steps forward and haughtily, "So, where is it?"

"So impatient," Chan scoffs but says, "The Grimoire is located in Namhae."

Seungkwan gasps in surprise. This is the closest he's ever come. "Really?"

"But at the bottom of the ocean and my sources tell me that the book doesn't like to be found. It's constantly moving. Soonyoung, the idiot, only got the book in the first place by accident. The book literally fell from the sky into his hands. I can tell you, though, that the book is locked in the country. It hasn't been spotted anywhere else."

Seungkwan sighs in disappointment. "And all that trouble, I went to make that demon-killing hex ball."

Chan leans forward and shouts, "I went to a lot of trouble to collect your information too! You know how many demons I had to bribe to get you that!"

"Please, you like doing business and making more deals!"

"I do meet all my contracts perfectly." Chan stands and looks down at the young girls who had been sitting silent this entire time. "I apologize for any unfortunate circumstances that may have occurred. Please accept my apology in the form of increasing the terms of our contract. Instead of ten years, I will collect your souls in fifteen."

"Wait!" Mingyu shouts, but Chan has already snapped his fingers and has disappeared with the girls. Mingyu turns his anger at him. "How could you let that happen? You just gave away three innocent girls to a demon."

Seungkwan crosses his arms protectively over his chest, "I didn't. The girls gave themselves up."

"But we could have found a way to terminate the contracts and save them," Seungcheol says.

Seungkwan smiles at their foolishness. While Seungcheol and Vernon are the most experienced hunters, clearly, they still have a lot to learn. "There's no way out of a demon deal unless a soul is traded for another. Were any of you willing to trade your souls for them?" When no one answers, Seungkwan scoffs. "I didn't think so. Now, I have a train to catch in Namhae." 

He walks out of the room and absolutely refuses to meet Vernon's eyes. He won't look at him. He won't. 

  
  
  


Seungkwan stands out of sight as he watches the group bury Mingyu. He lets them have their rites. When they finish their goodbyes and leave in Seungcheol's noisy car, Seungkwan strolls forward to the gravesite. The place is barren and dry. There's only hard soil beneath his feet. It's not any proper place to bury a body, but he had seen Wonwoo adamantly tell Seungcheol that they were not going to burn Mingyu's body. Therefore, Seungcheol made the decision of burying him on this isolated hill. 

Seungkwan pulls out a cosmos flower from his pocket. He kisses a pink petal, murmurs a spell of protection, and places the flower over Mingyu's gravesite. 

He walks down the hill and hitchhikes to Vernon's home.

When he arrives, he can hear shouting from inside. Something shatters, and more curses fly out of Wonwoo and Seungcheol's mouth. He can't hear anything from Vernon.

A few moments later, Wonwoo is storming out of the house. He takes his car and drives off. Seungcheol curses some more, and then he too is taking off.

Seungkwan leans against the shadows and waits some more, but he doesn't hear anything for the rest of the night.

He doesn't mean to keep watch for the entire week, but he's concerned. It's been another two years since he's officially seen him. The kid must be around twenty-three years old now. Well, not exactly a kid…

On the sixth night, Seungkwan starts to become concerned. The lights never come on inside the house, and he rarely hears any noise. On the seventh night, Seungkwan makes his decision.

Hesitantly, he drags his feet to the door. He can feel the hum of the protection wards still active, but they're not guarding against him—not since Vernon gave him permission. He thinks to knock but decides just to open the door. It's surprisingly unlocked.

The smell of must greets him. It's stifling. Seungkwan covers his nose and walks around the home until he gets to the living room. There's shattered plates scattered over the ground, a broken lamp, and empty bottles of soju and rice wine.

It all makes Seungkwan frown. He carefully steps over the broken ceramic plates and empty bottles and makes his way toward the lump on the couch. Vernon's body and face are covered with a thin blanket. His socked-feet are sticking out. Slowly, the lump rises and falls.

At least he's breathing.

"Vernon," Seungkwan whispers.

There isn't any movement. 

Seungkwan kneels against the purple rug and pulls the blanket away slowly. Vernon is staring back at him, but there's no life there. 

"Vernon," He tries once more.

There's no reaction.

Seungkwan stands to his feet. He snaps his fingers and says a quick incantation. The plates repair themselves, and the empty bottles float into the air, and then all gather neatly to rest on top of the kitchen table.

"Vernon, have you eaten?"

The child blinks.

A sigh falls from Seungkwan's lips. He slowly steps forward and sits against the couch's armrest, taking in the state of the living room. 

He flinches when he suddenly hears, "Why are you here?"

Seungkwan glances down at Vernon. He hasn't moved, but at least he's cognizant that he's here. He folds his hands on his lap, "I'm worried about you."

"You disappear from my life years at a time, avoid me, work with demons—"

"—I feel responsible for Mingyu's death."

"Why?" Vernon shifts, and then he sits up with the blanket around him. "You weren't there when Mingyu made the deal or when the demon hounds came for him."

"If I had been more careful, neither of you would have met Chan, and neither of you would have learned about crossroad demons."

"Chan wasn't the one to make the contract. He actually advised Mingyu not to make the deal and said he would be falling right into their trap."

Seungkwan smiles. "Chan is a good demon, as far as demons go, annoying, though."

"I know," Vernon says too confidently for a hunter. "We've met him a few times after you ran out of the hotel."

There isn't a hint of accusation in Vernon's tone, but for some reason, Seungkwan can still hear one. He drops his head to his hands and rubs them together. "Sorry."

Vernon doesn't let any silence linger. He shifts again until his body is angled in Seungkwan's direction. "Why did you run? Why have you been avoiding me since I was nineteen? You were always running into the others except me."

Seungkwan still can't look up. He wrings his hands tighter together and scrunches his brows. "Because I know how this ends." Jeonghan's vision still echoes in his head. 

Vernon has every right to be confused. "What?"

"Never mind that." Seungkwan takes a deep breath before meeting Vernon's stare. "It seems that I just can't stay away for long, though. You should shower and eat something. When was the last time you ate? You can't just eat ramen packets. Gosh, when those things were invented, I swear."

Vernon snorts. "You're a nagger."

Seungkwan replies with shock, "What? How dare you?"

"It's fine. I should get up anyway." Vernon pushes the blanket away and stands. He drags his feet to the doorway and stops. "Hey. Is Mingyu in hell?" Vernon asks without looking back at him. 

He knows what Vernon wants to hear, but he can't lie. "If that's what the contract said, then yes. I wouldn't know for certain. I'm not a psychic and can't perform a seance."

Vernon leans against the doorway and looks up at the top of the frame. His hair is disheveled, defying gravity and somehow curling around his ears and neck. The texture looks slightly coarse, even more so with the lack of maintenance these few days. He doesn't comment on it. He understands the weight of losing someone. "I'll call Jeonghan then," Vernon says with a sigh. He looks over at Seungkwan, and the witch stares back.

Life still looks like it's gone from Vernon's eyes, but they haven't been snuffed out yet. That's good. There's hope. 

"What?" Vernon asks when he's been quiet for too long. 

Seungkwan shakes his head. He doesn't want to be reminded about Jeonghan tonight. In fact, he doesn't want Vernon to know that he paid the psychic a visit. "Nothing. Go shower, kid. I'll prepare something for you."

Vernon nods slowly, trusting him not to leave. 

Seungkwan stands and makes his way to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and cringes. There isn't much of any sustenance here. A few liquor bottles are pushed to the front of the fridge, but Seungkwan doesn't want to feed Vernon any of that.

He goes to the cabinets and finds powdered potato packets and some instant ramen.

It will have to do.

Seungkwan isn't big on cooking.

A few other witches have told Seungkwan that cooking and brewing potions are the exact same. It isn't. It definitely isn't. One is an instinctual exact science; the other is a scientific accident. It takes true talent to brew potions and cast spells. So when he picks up the powdered potato packets, he makes sure to read the directions more than three times.

He doesn't want to poison the kid.

When he finishes cooking, Vernon reemerges dressed in a tie-dye hoodie and sweats. Seungkwan stares at the color for a long moment.

"What?" He hears Vernon asks.

It's the same color as his witch's signature—the one all over the wards of this house. Seungkwan smiles. "Why are you walking barefoot after a shower? You'll get sick!"

Vernon snorts, ignoring him, and sits at the table, thanking him for the meal.

Seungkwan stays in Vernon's home for nearly two months. Neither of them cooks much, and Vernon can't believe he found someone who was a worse cook than him. They often get takeout, and Vernon isn't quite sure how it works since he knows he lives in the middle of nowhere, but he's stopped questioning when he answers the door, he sees a dazed-looking teen holding out a plastic bag filled with food.

Vernon knows that Seungkwan does his best to feed him. There are days where Vernon can muster up three meals a day, but on others, he struggles to even drink water. Mingyu's death has hit him harder than he expected, but Mingyu has become his brother—family in this short time. It feels like losing his parents all over again.

He drinks a lot.

He doesn't mean to, but it gives him something to do.

He doesn't hunt. Seungkwan won't let him, which he's actually secretly thankful for. He knows he doesn't have the right headspace right now to take on a case. He knows Seungcheol and Wonwoo are taking on cases from the few times they've replied to his texts, and he can only hope those two are managing on their own.

He hasn't told them about Seungkwan staying with him. It's not because he's ashamed or worried they'll come after the witch, but it's just never come up in conversation. And he's trying to be a better texter after they told him he had a tendency to drop messages without warning. 

Seungkwan has been a nice companion these past two months.

They sit together and watch a lot of variety-programs. While Seungkwan brews a potion and ships it to god knows where, Vernon surfs the net for music for a new playlist. Sometimes, Seungkwan even helps him compile the lore for his witch's book. 

It's been nice...but Vernon still feels empty inside.

Soft, chill beats are playing through the air as he helps Seungkwan with a potion. He's cutting up the ingredients and placing them in the proper bowls as Seungkwan stirs the pot. He finds Seungkwan's magic intriguing as he's been watching it up close nearly every day.

He realizes Seungkwan knows many languages: Latin, Ancient Sumeria, Ancient Chinese, it goes on. He says that sometimes there are many similar spells across languages, but it's about knowing when to use them at the right time. Latin is Seungkwan's favorite out on the field. He says it short and to the point when he needs to be on the defensive or offensive in battle. But when he's sitting here, brewing potions with all the time in the world, he likes to use Ancient Korean. 

Sometimes, as Seungkwan stirs his pot and says his incantations, they sound like Seungkwan is singing.

It makes Vernon smile.

As Vernon finishes cutting up the mandrake, Seungkwan stops stirring and looks him straight in the eye. "I have to go," Seungkwan says in a soft voice.

"What?"

"I found a lead on the book."

"What book?"

"The Black Grimoire. I've told you about this."

Vernon drops his gaze. "Oh, right." He wants to say more but holds it in.

Seungkwan reaches forward and places a hand over Vernon's. Sincerely, he says, "Yes, I am leaving you for a book, but I promise it's important."

Vernon looks at their hands and then looks back up. "What's in that book?" 

"According to legend, it holds the secret of unlocking a natural witch's true potential."

"I thought you were already the strongest witch in all of Korea."

Seungkwan looks flustered. "...I...I am...but this book will grant me abilities that I will never be able to cast even with a coven."

"And what do you want to cast?"

Seungkwan pulls his hand away. He looks around the living room, and then Seungkwan is placing his ring finger on the rug below him. He casts something in a harsh sounding language. Vernon swears he sees a flash of purple climb up the walls and mix with a swirling rainbow of color on the ceiling. The colors disappear shortly after.

"What was that?" Vernon asks. He's not worried. He knows Seungkwan won't hurt him. 

"I added a privacy ward. It won't hold long since the original wards aren't cast in  _ my _ magic, but I don't want anyone or anything listening in. The book is going to help me close the gates of hell."

Vernon leans forward. His jaw drops. "What?"

"Vernon, we both hate demons. They're the reason our families have been taken from us. With the book, I will have the strength to close the gates. It won't kill the demons that are already on Earth, but it will prevent new ones from coming in. We could have a fighting chance."

"Then let me come with you. I can help you look for it."

"No," Seungkwan says sternly. "It's too dangerous."

"Seungkwan."

"Vernon," Seungkwan bites back.

Vernon sighs. He looks up at the ceiling, hoping to see those colors again. He turns to Seungkwan and tries a soft smile, "How dangerous can it be?"

"Apparently, it's in a dragon lair underneath Jeju. Did you hear that Vernon, dragons!"

"All the more reason to go with you."

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to tangle you up in this witch stuff."

"You have me making potions with you."

"And I shouldn't have done that. I'll keep in touch. I promise."

Seungkwan starts to pour his potion into his vials and place them inside his basket.

Vernon hovers nearby. "Do you know what you're walking into?"

"Not really, but I'll be safe. Thanks for your concern."

"You're not going to disappear on me for another two years, are you?"

"I'll try not to. Here's my number. Seungkwan writes his number on a piece of paper and hands it to him. "If you need to reach me, or you can just use the locator spell from before. Keep the ingredients handy and in the trunk of your car at all times."

Vernon hesitantly takes it. "Will you try to push me away if I cast it?"

Seungkwan snorts out a short burst of laughter, "You knew I was trying to push you away?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Right, you're a smart kid, Vernonnie. Be safe, and I will be too. I promise."

Seungkwan is running because really fuck this. He's going to murder the witch who thought it would be a good idea to raise Samhain from the dead.

Mingyu is right on Seungkwan's heels, screaming and shooting salt rounds at the demon.

He can't believe their group had failed to stop the seal from breaking. They really needed a win. They can't make any mistakes. 

Since Mingyu's return from the dead, the world has gotten more complicated. Minghao, Mingyu's apparent guardian angel, told them that if 66 seals were broken, it would unlock the Devil from his cage, and he would be free to walk the Earth. From there, well, the apocalypse would sure be imminent. And fuck demons, Seungkwan's entire life has been to stop them.

"Can't you cast a spell at that thing?" Mingyu shouts after shooting his last bullet.

"You saw what happened! It rebounded off him!"

"You're so useless! You couldn't even kill your friend."

"That witch wasn't my friend!"

"Whatever, there's a church up ahead. We might be able to lose him on holy ground!"

The two run faster. 

They run into Seungcheol, Wonwoo, and Vernon, who are covered in green slime and blood. "We killed the witch!" Vernon says happily.

Seungkwan smiles back at him, "Great! But keep running!" 

He shoves him forward in the direction of the church that is only a block ahead now. 

Seungcheol breaks down the door, and they burst inside. The hunters are quick to grab whatever they can to block the door. Seungkwan thinks it's futile. When Samhain was raised, it shot Mingyu and Seungkwan to the ceiling with only a look. That won't hold. He shuts his eyes and begins to chant all the protective spells he knows. 

Samhain kicks the door down, and all the chairs and shelves go flying across the church. 

Wonwoo and Seungcheol are shooting bullets at the thing to slow it down, but the demon appears unaffected. 

Vernon takes his shot next. He pulls out his demon-killing knife before Seungkwan can stop him. He manages to dig the blade in the demon's chest, but it does nothing. The demon chuckles and flings the blade across the church.

"What the hell?!" Mingyu barks out again. "I thought you said that kills demons!"

"I said most demons. Most!" Seungkwan shouts in return. 

Samhain looks ready to strike at Vernon. Seungkwan quickly spits out a spell, and Vernon is being dragged toward him like a hook. Together, they collapse against the wall. Seungkwan grunts under Vernon's weight, but it's much better than Vernon's death.

"I have an idea!" Wonwoo yells. "Hold him off! Mingyu, come with me!"

Wonwoo runs deeper into the church and toward a set of stairs that lead upstairs into an attic. Mingyu runs after him.

Seungcheol growls out in frustration and continues shooting at the demon. The demon flicks his hand, and Seungcheol flies through the air. He hits the ceiling and then drops harshly onto the floor.

Seungkwan pushes Vernon and steps forward. He doesn't know what spell to shoot at the demon. Whatever he had cast before didn't work. Mingyu is right. He's useless. Why is he even here helping them? They don't even like him. 

"Use your lightning spell," Vernon says. "On the floor. In a circle? Can you do that?"

Seungkwan nods. He shouts the spell, and purple lightning crackles out of his hands. It's a constant stream of lightning, and he has to concentrate more than usual to hold it in a lightning barrier.

The demon pauses and looks at the lightning in interest. It raises a finger to the light. The lightning immediately burns his finger, and the demon pulls away. The demon then locks eyes with Seungkwan. 

He breaths harshly through his nose as he feels pressure at his throat. Shit. The demon is choking him. He can't let the demon escape, though. He starts to gasp for air as the demon continues its hold. When Vernon realizes what's happening, he screams, "Drop the spell!"

Seungkwan knows this isn't how he ends. So he keeps up the spell.

"Seungkwan!" Vernon yells again.

He doesn't listen. He pushes out more of his magic, so it starts to shock the demon. 

"Seungkwan!"

He feels Vernon's hands grip his wrist, and for a moment, Seungkwan fears that Vernon will get burned. Breath returns to him as the spell merely vanishes. The lightning stops. Oh no. Seungkwan looks over Vernon's shoulder and sees the demon walk toward them.

Seungcheol is loading his gun again and letting out a stream of colorful adjectives, but then…

Mingyu's angel appears in between Vernon and the demon. Without any hesitation, the angel socks the demon. The demon drops to the floor.

Minghao turns to them with a soft smile, "Sorry, I was preventing another seal from being broken." 

Seungkwan scoffs at the angel's attitude. Clearly, the angel is blaming them for their failure at letting the seal break and Samhain raise. 

The demon rises to his feet and screams. A terrible wail is released from its mouth. Seungkwan and the other's drop to their knees, holding their head between their hands. What the hell? Seungkwan has never encountered a demon as strong as this. Not even Soonyoung, who's a Knight of Hell, has this power. 

As the group is compromised, the demon heads in the direction of where Mingyu and Wonwoo left. Once he's upstairs, the shrieking stops. 

Minghao disappears, most likely after the demon to protect his human charge. 

Seungkwan rushes over to Vernon. His ears are bleeding, and when Seungkwan raises a hand to his own, he can feel a wet substance as well. A high-pitched whine is ringing in his ears. Great. 

He stands to his feet and drags Seungcheol close to Vernon. Desperately, he looks around the church. He spots a bowl of holy water. Seungkwan doesn't know if it will be effective against the demon, but it's better than nothing. He sprints to grab the bowl and brings it to the others. He pours the water in a large circle to protect them in case the demon returns. 

He steps into the circle and places his hands on Vernon's head first. The kid is breathing deeply through his nose to try to mask the pain. Seungkwan can feel the pain too, but he's pushing it away for now. He says a healing spell, but it's not working. He tries another. It fails, as well. What had the demon done to them?

Seungcheol manages to sit up. He uses his shirt to wipe away the blood, but he stays put in the circle. Seungkwan is surprised he's not running after the other two. It's probably because of Minghao. These hunters have placed their faith in Minghao to keep them safe. 

Of course, they have. They'll never trust him like that. 

A few moments pass, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Minghao return. Wonwoo is covered in sweat and is breathing harshly. 

His eyes fall on Minghao as the angel starts to speak, but he can't hear him. Minghao reaches forward and presses his fingers to each of their temples. A golden white light shines as he heals them.

"—a nasty soul body curse. You should be able to hear now," Minghao finishes.

"Where's the demon?" Seungcheol asks them.

Wonwoo's gaze falls to the floor, and Mingyu refuses to meet Wonwoo's eyes. Interesting.

Minghao looks at both of the hunters behind him and turns to Seungcheol, "It's been taken care of. Samhain has been killed."

"And the seal? Has it been restored?" Vernon asks, hopefully.

Minghao shakes his head, "The seal was the Rising of Samhain. He has risen. His death takes no factor in that the seal has been broken." He turns to Mingyu. He looks like he wants to reach out to him, but he stops himself. "I must go. Lilith has already broken 34 of the 66 seals."

Mingyu nods, and Minghao disappears with the sound of wings flapping in the air echoing in the church. 

Seungkwan stands to his feet and stretches. He smiles brightly at all of them. "So, we didn't die!"

Everyone shoots him a glare, even Vernon.

Seungkwan giggles embarrassingly under their stares. "Well, that was enough adventure for me today. I'll be off now."

Seungcheol and Vernon get to their feet as Seungkwan starts to head to the door.

"Where are you going?" Vernon asks.

Seungkwan smiles again. "Off to torture a human who knows the location of my book. Hopefully, our next encounter is less adventurous." 

As he continues walking, he hears Mingyu mutter, "He's not serious, is he?"

Vernon replies, "Oh, he's serious."

Seungkwan glares at Soonyoung as he accosts him near Vernon's home. He has him cornered against a wall, the shadows hiding them from view. Soonyoung's hand is at Seungkwan's throat. 

"I know what those hunters have planned," Soonyoung says. "It won't work."

"Why not? I heard they have a capable witch on their side?" Seungkwan snarks in reply.

Soonyoung chuckles, "When you cast the spell to summon me tomorrow night, I need you to break the devil traps."

"Why would I do that?"

"Otherwise, I'll kill the kid."

Seungkwan freezes. He doesn't have to ask who Soonyoung is referring to. He swallows, "His home is protected against—"

"—We both know he isn't home, though. You're just here to visit...what is it..friends?"

Seungkwan looks away for a moment. He had been visiting them...as friends. Ever since they defeated the devil a few months ago, he started to build a close comradery with those four hunters. He had brought some supplies to make hex bags because Wonwoo was interested in their other uses. Vernon is a town over on a solo hunt with a ghost. The case was easy, so no one bothered to go with him. Seungkwan shouldn't have let him out of his sight. There's probably a demon trailing after him.

"Oh," Soonyoung speaks. "I promise I won't hurt him. Not if you break those traps for me tomorrow."

"You want me to betray them?" Seungkwan scoffs.

"Is it really betrayal? Do you think they honestly trust you?" Soonyoung lets go of him. He steps back and tucks his hands in his pockets.

Seungkwan bows his head. 

"That kid, Vernon, right? He might trust you, but we all know he'll choose the angel over you any day."

Seungkwan pushes his shoulders back, squares his jaw, and stares straight at Soonyoung. 

The demon continues speaking, "They're going to ask me for the demon tablet tomorrow, but I'm not going to give it to them."

"Obviously," Seungkwan mutters, rolling his eyes. "Look, you don't want to give us the tablet. Why don't I just pretend summoning you won't work?"

"Do you think they'll believe that? You're turning into quite the witch, Seungkwan. I'll give you that. I need this to be believable. And my plan needs to work if I want them to die."

"You're not going to—"

"—Oh, I'm not going to kill any of the hunters." Soonyoung smiles.

"The angel?" Seungkwan gasps in realization. "Why?"

Soonyoung smiles into something, something actually genuine. He summons the broken tablet into his hands. It's a heavy thing made of stone and carved in Ancient Enochian. Seungkwan thinks of attacking Soonyoung to grab for it. Then they won't have to carry out their mission tomorrow. But he's not sure if he's strong enough to take on a Knight of Hell, especially one that is now the King of Hell. 

"This tablet can do more than permanently close the gates of hell. Did you know that?"

Seungkwan doesn't respond.

Soonyoung continues, and the tablet vanishes, "They say the tablet has the secret of purifying a demon...without killing them."

Seungkwan scoffs. "And of course you wouldn't want that information leaked to the…" Seungkwan trails off when Soonyoung lifts an eyebrow. Soonyoung... he's not planning on...is he? No, Soonyoung isn't that chaotic. Why would he want to purify himself….and became what? Human?! It's ridiculous! No demon would want that. 

"So why the angel?" Seungkwan asks again. 

Soonyoung laughs and presses a finger to his lips, "Secret. So do we have a deal?"

"I don't make deals with demons."

"Except Chan? I heard you two were plotting to overthrow me. He wants to become the King of Hell. What an ambitious kid," Soonyoung snorts.

"Only the angel will die?" Seungkwan asks after a moment.

"I can't make promises, but that's my intention."

Seungkwan laughs and shakes his head. "No." He'll call Vernon, warn him. The hunter is capable. 

He turns on his heel and starts to walk away.

"I know where the Black Grimoire is!" Soonyoung shouts. 

Seungkwan freezes and turns back to the demon.

"You've been after it for years. I know where it is."

Seungkwan is really tempted. But, if their mission goes right, he won't need the book at all. The demon tablets have the same power to close the gates.

"Not interested."

"Why? You're going to need the power soon. After all, according to the psychic, Vernon is going to be the only one to put an end to you. You're going to need all the power you can get to defend yourself."

Seungkwan gasps and marches straight back to the demon. He feels his muscles twitching under his jaw, and heat is collecting at the back of his neck. "How did you know that?"

"I have ears everywhere. So here is my final proposition. Break the devil traps tomorrow, escape from the scene, I'll give you the location of the book, and I don't kill all your friends tomorrow. Keep me in that trap, and all your friends will die, including the angel, so your little stunt of loyalty will be for nothing. I'll get what I want." 

"You won't be able to kill Vernon if he's the one meant to kill me."

"Then I'll kill all his friends and blame it on you. Make Vernon hate you." Soonyoung smiles wickedly. "It must be strange, being friends with the one who is going to kill you. But you care deeply about what that kid thinks. So...I kill one instead of all of them."

Seungkwan sighs. Even if they manage to get the other half of the demon tablet tomorrow, it will take time to decipher the message. Take time to prepare the spell. It's too much time for anything to happen in between and for Soonyoung and his goons to strike. If all of them were to die...it would be much worse. 

"Fine, but you have to promise the others won't die," Seungkwan seethes.

Soonyoung blinks, and his eyes turn completely black. "I promise, now you know how demon deals are sealed. C'mon over here and give me a kiss."

Seungkwan rolls his eyes but steps the remainder of the way and presses his lips to Soonyoung. 

When Minghao dies, Seungkwan can't bear to face any of them. He runs and hides back home. Vernon keeps texting him and once used the locator spell on him. Seungkwan doesn't push back against it. He doesn't mind letting them know where is; he just can't confess that he's the reason Minghao is dead.

He knows Mingyu is broken up over it. He knows the bond between those two ran deep—and he just broke it. 

But to be honest, it is better this way than letting Mingyu die. The world needs Mingyu...the hunter...the Righteous Man. The world wouldn't be affected by the death of one angel. 

His phone buzzes again as he's brewing a potion. He glances over it and sees it's a text from Vernon. He stares at the screen for a long moment and then finally decides to open the message. 

<<<Mingyu is headed your way

For a moment, Seungkwan panics. Mingyu found out. He's going to kill him—he's not. He's not going to kill him. There's only one.

Seungkwan sighs and pushes away against every instinct. He texts back.

>>>Why?

<<<I think he wants information on how to bring Minghao back.

>>> There's no magic to bring back an angel.

Seungkwan stares at the screen as he watches the three dots appear and then disappear and then appear again.

<<<We know why you did it.

Seungkwan gasps and nearly drops his phone in his pot. He manages to catch it at the last second and is startled again when the phone starts ringing. It's Vernon. 

He's too curious to ignore the call. Hesitantly, he picks up.

"Hey, it's me," Vernon says from the other line.

Seungkwan can't help but chuckle. "I know."

"So...thank you for thinking of my friends."

Seungkwan leans against his table and holds his phone with two hands.

"I know," Vernon says slowly, "It was a hard decision for you to make. Whatever choice you took, someone was going to die."

"How did you find out?"

"Soonyoung told us. We actually ran into him a few days ago. The demon can't keep a secret, and he was too excited to let us know that he cornered you into making that choice."

Seungkwan licks his lips, "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

And just like that, the weight on his shoulders is lifted. Seungkwan feels like crying. Vernon is too forgiving, too trusting, too...everything. 

Vernon interrupts him, "But...Mingyu doesn't know you did that. I wouldn't let him know you chose us over Minghao. He won't see it for what it is. He'll tell you that he should have died in Minghao's place."

"Make him hate me? Easy enough."

He hears a chuckle from the other line.

"When you help Mingyu with whatever, can you please come back...I miss you."

Seungkwan mulls Vernon's words over. There's a long silence, and Vernon waits patiently. Vernon is going to be the witch to end him. He'll just have to give him a reason not to. 

"I miss you too. I'll go to your place after Mingyu shows up."

"Thank you."

Seungkwan doesn't feel like he deserves it, but he savors Veron's forgiveness and his gratitude. 

Thirteen months have passed since Minghao's death. Vernon is now twenty-six, and he's still hunting. The grind goes on, Seungcheol says. He's right. They can't be weighed down with regrets—they have a world to protect.

Mingyu is doing better. He doesn't cry every night anymore, and he even accepted Seungkwan's apology two months ago when the witch revealed the truth. It's been hard on his friend. He knows it, but eventually, he will move on: just like Seungcheol did when his two elder brothers and father were killed, when Wonwoo's boyfriend was killed, when Vernon's parents were killed. That was the sad truth about their life. They had to move on. 

He's on a case with Mingyu and Seungkwan. It's been interesting hunting with the witch. In the past, they would run into Seungkwan on cases, and he would begrudgingly help and then, in one way or another, cast something on Mingyu for being insulted (and in one case turned Seungcheol into a toad). This time, Seungkwan genuinely wanted to join them and try to help.

Seungkwan moved in with them the same day he apologized to Mingyu. Vernon shares a room with the witch. It's strange how he doesn't mind it at all. In fact, Seunkgwan is the one who is always complaining about Vernon leaving his clothes and snacks all over the place. It's a ritual for Seungkwan to threaten that he will leave at least once a week. 

He never does.

Seungkwan has also become extremely useful. Whenever any of them return home battered and bruised, Seungkwan will whisk away a potion or spell and heal them. It doesn't completely cure them like when Minghao used to, but it's still nice. 

The three of them arrive outside the abandoned clinic in Seoul. Jeonghan is already there waiting for them. 

"Finally!" Jeonghan sighs exasperatedly. "It's freezing out here."

"Why didn't you go inside?" Mingyu asks, opening the trunk of Seungcheol's borrowed car. He pulls out a shotgun.

"Yes, and face a dozen poltergeists inside? No, thank you." 

Vernon and Seungkwan snicker. Vernon reaches over his trusty hula hoop and hands one to Seungkwan. As he offers it to Mingyu, the hunter makes a face. 

"I'm not taking that," Mingyu sneers.

Jeonghan hops forward. "I will!" He steals the hula hoop and pulls it over himself. 

The four of them step inside. Vernon and Mingyu have Jeonghan in between them, with Seungkwan taking the back. 

"Can't you just tell them to pass on?" Mingyu asks petulantly, holding out his EMF reader for any signs of activity.

"I can't communicate with poltergeists," Jeonghan admits. "They're too wild for me to get through. That's why I called you, and by the way, tell Seungcheol to stop drinking so much beer, or he's going to get a beer belly."

"You can sense it from here?" Mingyu gasps out, always the one to be the most in awe of Jeonghan's abilities.

"No, I just know him."

At that moment, the EMF reader beeps and blinks red. No one is fast enough to react. A dozen poltergeists phase through the wall and shove at them. They fly to the opposite side of the room and crash against the wall. Vernon's hula hoops snap open and spill salt uselessly all over the floor.

"Shit!" Mingyu shrieks. He starts shooting his gun at the poltergeists. It stings and burns them, but they are consumed with so much hate that they continue to reach for them.

One poltergeist reaches for Jeonghan. It lifts its hand and strikes. Jeonghan hisses as it scratches his face. Vernon stands to his feet and fires two shots to distract it. 

Mingyu stands as well and helps Vernon.

"Jeonghan!" Mingyu shouts. "Find whatever is keeping them here! Seungkwan, guard him!"

The two nod. Seungkwan helps Jeonghan to his feet, and they run deeper into the clinic. Vernon and Mingyu do their best to shoot at all the poltergeists. For a while, only the sound of shots are heard, and Mingyu and Vernon are starting to lose steam.

But like magic, the poltergeists suddenly disappear.

They hear Seungkwan's unmistakable shriek next.

The two go after the sound and find the two in the records room. Jeonghan is holding a pile of files in his hand and cowering behind Seungkwan, who is holding up some purple barrier. The poltergeists are slamming into it.

Mingyu reacts first. He shots at the poltergeists from behind. They shriek and turn their attention to him. It's not enough, though. 

Jeonghan pulls out a lighter from his pocket, ready to burn the files, but a poltergeist sneaks over the barrier and shoves Jeonghan against the wall. The lighter falls from his hands, and the records scatter on the ground. Another poltergeist sneaks over the barrier and slams against a pile of boxes. More files spill out.

Mingyu curses.

Vernon is trying his best to distract the other stragglers while Jeonghan desperately looks for the correct files.

"Just burn the whole room!" Mingyu shrieks.

"Heck, no!" Jeonghan replies.

"We have to do something!" Vernon shouts over all the noise. 

Seungkwan mutters something; whatever it is, it sounds ancient. The poltergeists shriek and are blasted from the room. A purple shimmering barrier appears all over the walls of the room and on the doorway. The poltergeists are quick to return and bang against the barrier at the doorway.

Seungkwan keeps repeating a spell over and over as Mingyu and Jeonghan search for the correct files. Vernon can see that Seungkwan is slipping, though. He's breathing harshly, and they all know that the barrier isn't going to hold forever. The poltergeists are too strong, and it seems like they are gathering more strength with everyone's frazzled state.

"Vernon!" Seungkwan shouts, interrupting his chanting. "Take my hand!"

Vernon steps close to his friend and does so. He doesn't understand, but he trusts whatever Seungkwan has planned.

Seungkwan sneaks a terrified glance at him but then manages to say, "Repeat after me. Okay?"

"What?" Vernon shrieks.

"Repeat after me!"

Vernon has never heard him sound so scared before, so finally, he nods. Seungkwan begins to chant again. He listens closely. Once he has it down, he starts repeating the incantation. Seungkwan's voice grows louder, and so does Vernon's. The purple barrier glows brighter, and then a mass of rainbow colors join it. 

The room feels hot, and Vernon can feel like he's burning from the inside out, but he pushes forward. 

Their voices reach a crescendo, and some blasts erupt from within them. It shoots straight at the poltergeists; they shriek as they are all hit simultaneously. They fizzle out of existence and fade into white smoke. 

When the last one is gone, Vernon and Seungkwan fall to their knees, gasping for breath. He can hear some shuffling going around him, and he hears Jeonghan's cry of success. The smell of burning paper invades his nostrils, but he's too tired to actually lift his head and check. 

"What the hell was that?" Mingyu mutters.

Seungkwan recovers first. He collapses onto his butt instead, and he looks over at Mingyu and then at Vernon.

Vernon manages to push himself to sit as well. 

He won't ever forget the day that Seungkwan stares straight at him and tells him, "You're a witch, Vernon." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving it at a cliffhanger >.<
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter~ 
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Vernon returns to the car in silence. Ahead of him, Mingyu asks Seungkwan too many questions without pausing to receive an answer in return. Jeonghan matches pace beside him. Occasionally, he can see Jeonghan sneak a glance at him, but Vernon keeps his gaze ahead with his hands stuffed inside his pockets. 

He won't admit it to anyone, but they're balled into fists to stop from shaking.

Witch? Witch? 

He isn't quite sure how to react to this. The revelation of it all floats about his head. Obviously, he's shocked. He never considered himself a witch. He can count on one hand the number of times he's performed "spells." Yet, all of those were just what Seungkwan said, the ingredients doing the work. Right? Just like the hex bags he regularly works with to purify homes and set wards—they're not magic. He races through all the memories he can of his childhood to sort out if he ever displayed any witchy energy, but his mind keeps jumping back to Seungkwan. Vernon can't believe that Seungkwan, his best friend, never told him. That's the information he can't process. 

"You're allowed to be angry," Jeonghan tells him.

Vernon snaps out of his daze and looks at Jeonghan. They stop at the clinic entrance and watch as Mingyu loads the supplies into the car's trunk. Mingyu is still half-yelling at Seungkwan.

"What good would it do?" He replies.

Jeonghan leans against the frame and sighs, "It would help with the shaking."

Vernon flinches then blinks slowly. He removes his hands from his pockets. Unclenching his fists, he can feel pins and needles as blood rushes to his fingers. 

Jeonghan eyes him, and Vernon knows that he's being read.

Before Jeonghan can voice an observation, Vernon asks, "You knew I was a witch, didn't you? You must have sensed it?"

Jeonghan licks his lips. He can see that Jeonghan is choosing his words carefully. "I didn't sense it, but I knew. You should have this conversation with _him._ " 

It's rare to see Jeonghan look uncomfortable with anything, so Vernon has to ask. "How long did you know I was a witch?"

"About eight years?" Jeonghan's eyes fall momentarily to the ground in shame.

Vernon forces a smile, "You can read me, Jeonghan. You know I'm not upset."

Jeonghan chuckles, "I will admit, you are one of the few people who I struggle to read. I can, but it takes a little more effort of my abilities. As a matter of fact, Seungkwan is a bit too. He's quite forward with everything, but sometimes I think he means another. So it's a little challenging."

Vernon looks back at the car. Mingyu and Seungkwan are leaning against the trunk and are now having a more quiet conversation. They're too far away for him to hear. Briefly, he wonders what they're discussing.

Vernon asks, "Do you think it's hard for you to read us because... we're witches?" He pauses momentarily. It should sound ludicrous how it doesn't take much effort to admit it. 

He returns to stare at Jeonghan and catches him shaking his head. "I don't think it's that. Both of you carry such distinct energies. They radiate in similar wavelengths but in…" Jeonghan pauses for a moment. He knows it's because Jeonghan wants to be exact with his words and wants to give him an honest answer. The psychic, after all these years, still struggles to understand his abilities. It's not like Jeonghan can ask any other psychic for help. Each psychic perceives the world in different ways. Jeonghan shakes his head again and smiles, "You're two sides of the same coin."

Vernon nods at that answer and mulls over all this information. Jeonghan has known he was a witch for about eight years. Vernon tries to create a timeline for that. He must have been...what, eighteen at the time? He hadn't run into Seungkwan when he was eighteen. He was what? Fifteen? And then nineteen when he saw him again? That's four years without seeing the witch. 

Is that when Seungkwan found out too? It would explain why he started avoiding him. But why? Why would Seungkwan avoid him if he was a witch? Vernon still remembers sitting with Seungkwan on a couch while the older witch asked him if he wanted to be his apprentice. 

And then being two sides of the same coin. Vernon is familiar with that expression and the weight it carries. He knows that Jeonghan doesn't throw words around lightly. So for him to say that...Vernon knows the implications of it. He and Seungkwan are connected, but he's not quite sure how yet.

There's still a lot he doesn't know. 

He wants to keep asking Jeonghan questions. He knows Jeonghan will give it to him if he genuinely presses for answers. They've been friends for nearly ten years after all. However, he also knows that this revelation doesn't have anything to do with his friend. Jeonghan is a mouthpiece for the spirits; he doesn't mean to hold all this information. 

He needs to ask Seungkwan.

"It's really late; we should head back," Jeonghan says gently, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Vernon nods. 

They walk back to the car, and Vernon catches Seungkwan's eyes. They're locked in a stare, and Mingyu and Jeonghan look between them.

Neither of them says anything, so it's Jeonghan who breaks the tension.

"Are we still staying at my place? Cause if we are, Mingyu, I'm sorry, but we can't share a bed anymore."

Mingyu snaps his head at him. "It was one time!"

Jeonghan sighs dramatically. "No consideration~."

"It was an accident."

"Completely ruined the bed!" Jeonghan sings, already climbing into the passenger seat. 

Mingyu is already huffing and going after Jeonghan into the driver's seat. 

For a brief moment, Seungkwan and Vernon are left alone. They stare at each other again. 

"Should we go in?" Seungkwan asks softly.

"Yeah," He mutters. 

They move in sync until they're both in the backseat. 

Jeonghan and Mingyu are engaged in conversation, but their words fade into a soft indistinct mutter as Vernon pulls out his tangled headphones and plugs them into his phone. He places them in his ears and turns to look out the car window. The world freezes and narrows into guitar chords, the snare of drums, and the silvery hum of a woman's voice. While the world pauses for the pulse of music, Seoul blurs together in a streak of incandescent street lamps. They illuminate half his face. The shadows, for now, hug the dips of his left cheek and jaw. That's all Seungkwan sees as he watches from the corner of his eye. 

The four of them arrive at Jeonghan's apartment. Mingyu and Vernon are carrying their duffle bags of supplies of shotguns, salt rounds, and matches. Even though they're aware they can safely leave their supplies in the trunk, they refuse to be without them. The hunters have been caught too many times off guard to leave their weapons unattended. 

Jeonghan yawns, inputting the code on his door. 

They shuffle inside, dropping the bags, coats, and shoes all at the front entrance.

"Anyone want to claim the shower first?" Jeonghan asks, moving over to his kitchen and grabbing his post-it-note packets that are tucked securely on the fridge by a kitten magnet. 

Everyone shakes their heads. It's been a tiring day; they'll shower in the morning. Jeonghan mutters something under his breath and then says, "I'm gonna shower and get the stench of poltergeist off me. You know where the spare blankets are."

Jeonghan heads over to the small bathroom by the front door and shuts the door.

Vernon sees Seungkwan tense without Jeonghan's presence. He doesn't voice his observation. He looks around Jeonghan's loft and remembers that Jeonghan keeps his spare blankets under his bed. There are a set of narrow stairs that lead to Jeonghan's bedroom. Vernon climbs the stairs and bends slightly to avoid hitting the low ceiling. 

Jeonghan's bedroom sits on a small balcony. His bed is pushed against the wall, and there's a clothes rack filled with mostly sweaters. Blankets. Blankets. Vernon kneels and checks under the bed. He finds them neatly folded but pushed all the way to the back wall. He crawls under the bed and tries to pull and carry in one go, so when he stands, he nearly trips and knocks the blankets against Jeonghan's nightstand. He hears something clatter to the ground.

"Oops."

Vernon drops the blankets onto Jeonghan's bed and searches the floor. He finds a picture frame. Gently, Vernon picks it up. It's a picture of Jeonghan and Seungcheol. 

He can't place the picture's location or time, but he can definitely see that Seungcheol's arm is thrown over Jeonghan's shoulder, and Jeonghan is tucked into Seungcheol's neck. Vernon smirks at the picture and looks over his shoulder to see if Jeonghan is hovering. He isn't. He can still hear the sound of running water. He's not certain if he remembers if the picture has always been there. He's never really paid attention to Jeonghan's decorations. 

Are he and Seungcheol...Nah. They would have said something, right?

Vernon grabs an armful of the blankets and pillows and returns downstairs. 

Seungkwan and Mingyu have finished changing into their sweats and baggy shirts. Vernon drops the blankets and pillows on the floor and heads to his bag to grab his stuff as well. Vernon sees Mingyu grab the salt from habit and create a small barrier on Jeonghan's doors and windows. 

A few more minutes pass like this, with all of them moving through the apartment. Finally, Jeonghan emerges from the bathroom in his pajamas and heads upstairs to his bed, inviting Mingyu with him. 

Vernon takes the floor and slips beneath the blankets. Seungkwan turns off the light downstairs and lays beside him. 

The lights from upstairs then turn off.

He hears a muttered conversation between Mingyu and Jeonghan but then that dies out. 

Vernon stares up at the ceiling. He can hear Seungkwan breathing beside him, but he knows his friend is wide awake as well. He doesn't know how long they lay there, listening to each other's breathing, but finally, Vernon turns his head and waits. 

He can see Seungkwan's jaw tense, but he patiently waits for his friend to acknowledge him. It takes another few moments, but finally, Seungkwan turns his head and stares back at him.

Vernon blinks. "Do you want to go out and grab a bite to eat?" Vernon questions. "My treat?"

Seungkwan hesitantly nods. 

They toss the blankets to the side as they stand and shuffle as quietly as they can to the door. They grab their coats and shoes, and as Vernon goes to open the door, he sees a post-it-note by the door handle. 

Door code: 17958  
Call if you need anything.   
\--JH

Vernon smirks. Apparently, Jeonghan can read him. He stuffs the note in his pocket and walks out.

Despite that it's three in the morning, there are still people walking about in Seoul's streets. Vernon doesn't know the city well and is a bit overwhelmed by it that he doesn't know where to go. Perhaps, this wasn't the best idea. 

"C'mon, I saw a spicy Chinese noodle shop around the block," Seungkwan mutters.

Vernon nods.

They walk together, silently down the street. True to Seungkwan's word, there's a small shop. A cold air-conditioned room raises goosebumps across his skin. The shift in temperature makes him tug his sweater tighter to his frame as he looks at the sparse menu over the cashier lady. She's an elderly woman sitting on a stool with a sudoku puzzle over her knee. She doesn't even glance up at them. She just mutters something in Mandarin, and then Vernon hears the cook throw fresh oil on a pan. 

"Do you know what you want?" Vernon asks over his shoulder.

Seungkwan visibly flinches, clearly cut off guard with the drawn-out silence between them. 

Vernon repeats his question. 

Seungkwan sucks his lips into his mouth. He looks pained but then nods. Seungkwan steps forward with false bravado toward the woman and orders in perfect Mandarin. The woman is clearly impressed, and she sits up with a large smile. She says something to Seungkwan, he replies back, and the woman is laughing loud and breathy. Seungkwan continues to speak, and the woman snorts behind her hand and rolls her eyes fondly. 

Vernon gets it. Seungkwan's attitude is infectious.

"Sorry," Seungkwan says, looking over at him. "What did you want?"

Vernon tells him, and Seungkwan says it back to the woman in Mandarin. He waits for the price to appear on the register before pulling out his credit card. It's definitely one under a fake ID—Wonwoo has gotten adept and scamming and pulling these for the group. Vernon would feel guilty about it, but hunting doesn't pay, and there's only so much hustling he can do at card games. 

They both thank the woman and take their seats at a table closest to the door. Vernon sits with his back against the kitchen just in case. 

Immediately, Seungkwan reaches for the utensil rack pushed against the wall. He grabs a napkin and chopsticks and neatly lays them out on the table.

Vernon watches with a soft smile. He crosses his arms over the table and leans forward to ask. "So... I'm a witch?"

Seungkwan's eyes shoot up to look at him. "Uhhh."

Vernon looks down at Seungkwan's frozen hands then back at his friend. He shakes his head. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"A bit confused and surprised...but I'm not mad."

"But you're a hunter…" Seungkwan says. 

Vernon snorts and decides to list off, "And I'm close with Chan, and he's a demon. I was friends with Minghao, and my own best friend is a witch."

Seungkwan leans forward as well and, in a surprising tilt of voice, asks, "I'm your best friend?"

"Of course you are," Vernon says with certainty. Even with the secrets, the possible lies, Seungkwan is still a friend. 

"Oh." Seungkwan falls back against his chair. His lower lip quivers. Vernon mirrors him and leans back against his seat. He fiddles with the sides of the sweater, pulling them further down his torso. 

He takes a deep breath and declares, "I do have a lot of questions, though."

Seungkwan nods casually. Finally, Seungkwan truly meets his eyes. "Okay, that's fair. Ask, whatever you need."

"How come I didn't know I was a witch? You would think I would notice something was off."

Seungkwan rolls his eyes and nearly berates him with the way his voice takes on a haughty tone, "This isn't Harry Potter, Vernonie. We don't have random magical outbursts whenever we're angry. Can you imagine?"

"You would have blown up a block by now."

"A block? Probably just a building. I have some control, you know."

"Right…." Vernon grins despite himself. 

He turns over his shoulder as he hears some footsteps. The elderly woman strides toward them with two large steaming bowls. She sets them in front of them. She and Seungkwan talk for a long while. Vernon watches Seungkwan's body language as he talks with her. His hands fly up animatedly when he speaks, and his tone of voice tilts up in surprise and fascination whenever the woman replies back. 

Vernon bites into his food hungrily, watching the two. After a moment, the phone rings and the woman leaves to answer it. 

Vernon returns to the conversation, "So I have to perform magic to know I'm a witch?"

Seungkwan jumps back into it without missing a beat. "Precisely. If the magic comes easy to you, then it means you're a natural witch." Seungkwan takes a bite of his food. 

"Like tonight with the barrier?"

Seungkwan swallows nervously. "Yes...and other times..."

"Other times?"

"The witch locator spell I gave you. It's actually a really advanced potion and spell."

"But you told me it was in the ingredients. What about the hex bags? Was that my magic?"

Seungkwan shakes his head. "No, the hex bags I've shown you carry their own magic...but your magic did strengthen them. The wards in your house are near impenetrable."

"Oh." Vernon twirls his noodles before taking another bite. He chews in thought. 

"Any other questions?"

"I guess the only one I really have right now is why you were avoiding me? Was it because I was a witch?"

"I umm…"

"Whatever it is, I can take it."

"It's not that I don't think you won't be able to. It's just a lot to take in."

"Is it even more shocking than learning I'm a witch?"

"Yes," Seungkwan replies seriously.

He thinks Seungkwan will tell him, but Seungkwan takes three more bites of his food. It doesn't look like he's going to say anymore. Vernon eats his food as well. They don't talk at all as they finish up their meal. 

Vernon looks over at Seungkwan's plate and sees his friend has left some noodles. He reaches over and stuffs them into his mouth in one bite. When he finishes, he sets his chopsticks down and leans over on the table. With a serious face, he states, "Whatever it is, I want to know."

Seungkwan stares at him for a long moment. Then he's glancing over to the register and shakes his head. "Not here. C'mon."

Seungkwan's serious face disappears as he remembers to say goodbye to the woman. She says something enthusiastically to him that has Seungkwan laughing as he walks out the door. 

His friend escorts him to a small park. The place is abandoned, and a busted streetlamp flickers over it. Seungkwan brushes his finger against the lamp post, and the light fizzles out. Together, they head over to the roundabout. It threatens to spin as soon as they sit down, but Seungkwan digs his shoes into the ground to prevent it from moving. Vernon shuffles all the way to the center and cranes his neck to stare up at the sky. 

It's completely black—nothing like the view from his home. 

"A long time ago," Seungkwan hesitantly begins to retell. Vernon continues to look up at the sky and listens, "I met Jeonghan. He couldn't have been older than five years old. I was collecting flowers when the kid ran into me, offering to help. I didn't think much of it. I like kids, and he was kind—introduced himself like a grownup. But then...he started to say some bizarre stuff like he was having a conversation with himself. At the time, I knew he possessed some level of supernatural ability but didn't recognize it for what it was. I've never met a psychic to come into their powers that young, so it seemed ridiculous to me that he would be one. Especially when he started talking about a witch who will be my one true end." 

Vernon bends his neck, and it presses uncomfortably against the metal pole behind him. "Jeonghan can't see the future," Vernon says to the back of Seungkwan's head. 

"He can't, but some spirits can, and they can whisper that information to him. And they told him a prophecy of sorts. Since he was a child, and I didn't think it possible for a kid that age to be a psychic, I chose not to believe it. So, I let it go. However, when I met you, I felt some spark. I had some feeling you were a witch, and when I gave you that locator spell, it proved it. And then you told me about someone named Jeonghan...It seemed too much of a coincidence to pass up. I went searching for him, and he was able to confirm it for me again." Seungkwan hung his head.

Vernon sat up as his friend got silent.

He waited.

Then, Seungkwan sighed loudly and continued, "Chwe Hansol Vernon, a witch of natural ability, shall meet Boo Seungkwan, an experienced natural witch, and be his one true killer." 

"Straight to the point that prophecy."

Seungkwan snorts at his reply and finally turns to look at him. The roundabout moves slightly and creaks. "I was scared. I've lived many years honing my abilities and to know that a witch would become strong enough to kill me...so yes, I avoided you, thinking that it would be enough to stop the future from happening. But for some reason, I find myself drawn to you and keep coming back to you and wanting to help you. It's been that way since I first met you. It's like we're connected."

Vernon sits up completely, stuffing his hands in his sweater, and crosses his legs. "Two sides of the same coin...Jeonghan said that tonight. That our energies or something is connected."

"I wouldn't doubt it with a prophecy like that."

Vernon licks his lips, and confidently replies, "I'm not going to kill you."

"You don't know that."

Vernon drags his body off the roundabout. He stands over Seungkwan, and the witch looks up at him in confusion. He lightly kicks at his feet, and Seungkwan crosses his legs. Vernon smiles and slowly spins the roundabout. "I won't," He says more firmly, and Seungkwan twists each time he's spun to get a better look at him. "All of us know that our group doesn't like to follow what's laid out for us. Hell, Mingyu and Wonwoo were supposed to take on Michael and Lucifer's vessels and fight in this epic battle to jumpstart the apocalypse, but they didn't. We stopped it. And if we can stop the apocalypse...then I think we can stop this. It's all about Free Will, right? That's what God gave us."

"I don't think God really cares," Seunkgwan says.

Vernon smiles even wider. He spins the roundabout faster, grinning as Seungkwan starts to complain. 

"Probably not. But I do. And like I said—" He suddenly stops the roundabout, so he and Seunkwan are facing each other again. Vernon leans down, self-assured and feeling very calm. "I'm not going to kill my best friend." 

Seungkwan's lips thin, but Vernon knows it's because he's trying to stop smiling. Vernon bites his bottom lip, takes a step back, and spins the roundabout again. And again. Seungkwan cries out to stop—they both know he can use his magic. 

"You know," Vernon says casually over Seungkwan's voice, taking on a higher-pitch. "I'm going to need training. Do you know of any coven-approved witches who would be willing to be my mentor?" 

Before Vernon can grip the rails to continue spinning the roundabout, it suddenly stops, and Seungkwan faces him again. Seungkwan shimmies his shoulders in mock indifference and looks past Vernon. 

"I can think of one." 

Returning home, Vernon parades into his living room, dropping his bag on the couch. Seungcheol and Wonwoo are by his desk looking over a book. His two older friends mutter a small hi to them and continue to read. 

Vernon sighs and looks over his shoulder to glance at Mingyu's and Seungkwan's expressions. 

"You have to tell them," Mingyu scolds. 

Vernon takes a deep breath. "Soooo uhhh…" He pauses. They look up at him. He licks his lips and just says, "I'm a witch."

He hears Mingyu slap his forehead. "Not like that."

Wonwoo and Seungcheol look extremely confused. Their eyes dart back and forth between all of them. 

"What?" Seungcheol asks, mouth agape.

Seungkwan huffs loudly, "He's a witch. Enough explaining. C'mon Vernonie, we have a lot of training to do."

Vernon balks but follows his friend to his room. "Already?"

"Of course! You are several hundred years behind!"

In the living room, Seungcheol and Wonwoo are left hunched over the desk. "Witch?!" Seungcheol tries again, a little desperately.

Mingyu sighs, "I can't believe those two left me to explain. Okay, so…."

Vernon has his sleeves rolled up as he watches Seungkwan explain to him the different ingredients to a powerful brew from an African Dream Root that ensures deep sleep. Seungkwan explains how easy it is to alter the formula to slip someone into a coma, so it's best to pay attention.

"Touch the Dream Root," Seungkwan requests. His friend takes a seat across from him and leans against the kitchen table.

Vernon grabs the root and feels the weight of it in his hand. His eyes go to Seungkwan as he begins speaking. 

"For centuries, African Dream Root was used by shamans and medicine men for dream walking. I knew a young man who lost the ability to dream after suffering a serious head injury from his abusive father. He came to me for a cure. The dream root restored his ability to dream, but he learned to use it to manipulate and control others. He ended up entering his father's dreams and killing him in them. Killing his father in his dreams killed his father in real life." 

Seungkwan looks up at him expectantly as if he expects him to say something about helping a man murder his father. Vernon now understands why Seungkwan jumped at the chance to begin his training without the other guys present. 

He's always known of Seungkwan's complicated past, so he doesn't cast any judgment; Seungkwan hasn't done any of that in over a year. Instead, he places the root down and asks, "How would this grant someone the ability to enter someone else's dreams?"

Seungkwan smiles, "A sample of a person's DNA. Hair is preferable unless you're okay with nails."

Vernon shakes his head. "Hair is fine. So?"

"So? You're going to listen very carefully to my instructions on how to brew the potion, and later tonight, you're going to enter my dreams."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Most definitely. I'll be able to guide you in case something goes wrong."

"But it feels like an invasion of privacy."

Seungkwan waves him off. "I'm giving you permission. So start by pouring a cup of rice water in the pot, and you're gonna stir nine times counterclockwise immediately after."

Vernon takes the rice water and follows all of Seungkwan's instructions—trusting him. 

Later that night, Seungkwan dreams of the beaches and Jeju. He and Vernon spend the whole night running across the sand, splashing in the water, and sitting side by side to watch a sunset. 

Vernon and Seungkwan stand in a forest, miles away from the main road. Together they had finished a typical salt and burn case for a woman who was haunted by her grandmother. The case hadn't even lasted a full day, which was perfect for them as it gave them a chance to continue Vernon's lessons.

It's been a full month of learning about potions and rituals non-stop. Vernon is excited because today is the day that Seungkwan is going to teach him real spell-casting

"Magic is split into black and white."

"So black magic is dark magic?" Vernon questions, now feeling slightly hesitant.

"No. Magic is not innately dark or good. The guns you use are more dark than magic will ever be. They were created to kill thy enemy. Black magic protects us, witches. Think of fire." Seungkwan casts a spell, and he's holding a ball of flame in his palm.

Vernon watches on in fascination. He wants to reach out.

"This fire was meant to light the shadows," Seungkwan explains fondly. "But we consider it black magic because it also has the power to destroy."

"Wouldn't then it be neutral?" Vernon asks.

"Neutral? There's no such thing. Magic has two domains that—"

"But you just said it can be used for multiple purposes. That makes it neutral. Neither black nor white."

Seungkwan twirls his fingers, and the flame disappears, "...I guess so." He smiles for a moment and turns his full attention to Vernon. "We will start by controlling the wind today."

Seungkwan extends both hands out, palms up. Vernon eyes them curiously. Seungkwan sighs and rolls his eyes, grabbing Vernon's wrists and twisting them up as well. 

"Magic is all about feeling the energy around us. There are millions of energy wavelengths; you have to find the right one—wind energy spirals. Close your eyes. Can you feel any energy that spins and changes direction with no notice?"

"Not really."

"Focus. Your own magic energy mimics wind. That's why we are starting here."

Vernon can't help but ask, "What energy does yours mimic?"

He can hear Seungkwan snort. "Feel the energies out. I'm not going to tell you." He sounds slightly chastising. 

Vernon's brows wrinkle. He's not sure how he's supposed to focus on energy. He can only feel Seungkwan's hands cupping the back of his hands. Wait. He's not actually touching him. There's a small space between them. But he can still feel Seungkwan. The energy between their hands is warm, and truthfully, now that he senses that heat, Vernon is a little terrified to drop his hands down to touch Seungkwan. Is this Seungkwan's magic energy? It's strong. It feels electric, and he can see purple behind his closed eyelids. Oh.

"Your... your magic mimics lightning." 

There's silence for a slight moment, and then he hears Seungkwan's flustered voice, "You're not supposed to feel _my_ energy."

Vernon struggles not to open his eyes. He scrunches them tighter. But now that he can feel crackling energy in front of him. It's easier to pick out the other energies around him. He uses Seungkwan's energy like an anchor. He can sense wavelengths crackle out of his friend and smoothly fuse with others. 

Seungkwan's magic energy even snaps and combines with his. Oh. That's his. He can see swirling colors. It reminds him of his tye-dye shirts. The novelty of feeling his own magic distracts him, but Seungkwan doesn't break him out of it. He lets him explore it. 

Vernon takes his sweet time. It's interesting the way his energy spirals beneath his skin. Some are spinning in rapid and tight circles. Others, near his chest, are slow large sets. He catches spiral energy outside of his body, and he realizes it's not his own. It's wind.

"There you go," Seungkwan's voice sounds far off. "Concentrate. Envision it coming to you. Don't pull it. Don't force it or disrupt the natural order. It will come to you; just picture it." 

Vernon paints a picture of it in his mind and then gasps as he feels a giant gush of wind slap against his face. He loses concentration, and his eyes snap open. He's greeted with the sight of Seungkwan laughing.

"You did well. Better than expected. Now, let's try again."

Vernon shuts his eyes eagerly. Now that he knows what to look for, he wastes no time in looking for it again.

"When you envision it coming to you, give it direction. Ask if you can momentarily change its course to suit your needs. That will be the spell. Repeat after me," Seungkwan begins to chant the incantation.

Vernon nods. He pictures the wind wrapping around his arm as he says the incantation too. Slowly but surely, he can feel a breeze around his forearm. 

"Open your eyes," Seungkwan directs. 

Vernon does as told and looks at his arm. He can't see the wind, but he can feel it. With his left hand, he reaches out hesitantly to see if he can touch it. His fingers bounce back as if there's an invisible force there.

"Wind is strong," Seungkwan tells him. "So make sure to take a deep breath and picture the energy separating from yours. That will end the spell."

He lets out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, and just like that, the wind stops.

"I did it!" Vernon can't help smile broadly and reach out for Seungkwan. His friend grips his hand and cheers with him.

"You did really well for the first time. Now, let's see if you can knock a tree down with that wind spell alone."

Vernon stands confidently. He's got this. 

Vernon pushes open the door with the use of his magic. He enters first and holds it open for Seungkwan. 

Seungkwan chuckles, "Thank you."

Vernon beams at the praise, and they walk into his kitchen. Seungkwan pulls out his basket from his pocket and restores it to its original size. Together, they pull out the herbs and mushrooms they had collected in the forest.

"Couldn't we find this in a store?" 

Seungkwan gasps loudly, "A store! A store! Have you not been paying any attention? Most of these ingredients in stores are packed up with so many pesticides and genetic cloning that—"

Vernon hums. They've had this conversation before, but it's still amusing. He listens, chuckling as his friend continues on for a good five minutes without coming up for a single breath. 

They've developed a good routine. Music is expelling from a radio set that Vernon had turned on with a flick of his hand. They lay out the ingredients and wash them before preparing them for storage in jars.

It's a peaceful atmosphere that is ruined with a slam of the door. Vernon looks out of the kitchen and sees Wonwoo and Mingyu hoisting up an old man.

"Who—" Vernon starts, but then he sees it's not just any old man. It's Seungcheol. 

He and Seungkwan rush forward. Seungkwan checks over Seungcheol as the two hunters place him on the couch. Vernon hovers over Seungkwan's shoulder and looks at his friend. Seungcheol's entire forehead is covered in deep wrinkles. Bushy grey eyebrows make the wrinkles appear even deeper. His once boyish face is framed with short thinning hair, with a bald spot on his crown. He's breathing in short, harsh gasps. 

He barely notices that Mingyu is speaking. "—The demon was working with a witch, and she cast something at Seungcheol right when Wonwoo killed the demon. He was doing fine until we started heading back home and started aging rapidly."

Seungkwan nods and stands to his feet. He smiles, "Alright, Vernon. What is this?" 

"What?" Mingyu shouts. "This isn't a lesson. Seungcheol is going to keep aging until he dies! Fix him!"

Seungkwan keeps smiling, "He needs to learn. I'll be here for backup in case something happens, but Vernon needs to do this."

Vernon's mouth falls open in surprise. He looks over at Wonwoo and Mingyu, who are pleading with him to fix Seungcheol. 

"Vernon," Seunkgwan says. He takes a step back. "You have this. C'mon. Think what is this?"

Vernon approaches Seungcheol and takes his hand. He runs it over Seungcheol's forehead, feeling the energy. "An aging spell."

"But?" Seungkwan prompts.

Vernon's brows scrunch. But what? He examines Seungcheol's face. "Where was he hit?" He asks the others.

"Left calf," Wonwoo answers.

Vernon presses his mouth in a line. He casts a spell and rips Seungcheol's jeans to look at the damage. There. It's a rune. "But it's layered with a delayed speeding agent."

Seungkwan smiles. "Sooo...what do you need to do?"

"I uhhh…"

"I would think quickly," Seungkwan states. "You have five minutes before he dies."

Mingyu and Wonwoo yell at Seungkwan to do something. Vernon rushes into the kitchen. He pulls open the kitchen pantry and looks at the shelf clearly labeled magic ingredients (labeled as such as one time Mingyu accidentally used up all of Seungkwan's sage). Vernon desperately looks around for the stuff. He knows this. Seungkwan had him studying up on common curses just last week. 

He finds them tucked in the back and reaches for them, and also grabs a spell bowl. He rushes back to the living room. He drops the jars and the bowl on the ground and rushes to the bookshelves. Which book is it? He swears he saw the spell. 

"Vernon!" Mingyu shouts as Seungcheol's breath is leaving him.

Vernon blocks him out. He has this. 

He finds the book. 

He goes back to kneel in front of Seungcheol.

He drops sage and sheep's eye with one hand as he flips through the other book with his other hand. Where is that spell? Distantly, he hears Wonwoo and Mingyu cry from worry. They're telling Seungcheol to hold on, but Vernon is blocking most of it out. 

He drops more ingredients without looking or even measuring. His body is moving on autopilot. He's just letting the energy around him guide him—finally, the spell. Vernon gasps out in relief. He grabs a handful of the pyrite and chants the spell, _"Cantamen solvatur, cantamen revertatur. Cantamen solvatur, cantamen revertatur. Cantamen solvatur, cantamen revertatur."_

He throws the pyrite into the bowl. It explodes into a cloud of purple smoke. The smoke spirals into the air and heads straight for Seungcheol. Seungcheol breaths it in. Suddenly, his friend is sucking in a large breath.

Like watching a strange rewind clip, Seungcheol starts to de-age. 

Vernon's hands come up to his head in relief. He stands and then looks at Seungkwan.

"You did—"

Vernon launches at Seungkwan and pulls him into a hug. He can't contain the excitement. He starts jumping, and before Seungkwan can even register it, he's bouncing toward Seungcheol.

"What happened?" Seungcheol asks in a hoarse voice.

Wonwoo pushes his hair back and points at Vernon, "Our witch saved you."

Seungkwan can't help it, but since Vernon saved Seungcheol from the aging spell, he's been more aware of Vernon's presence. Vernon has improved and grown so much in three months since he found out he was a witch. It's remarkable, really. There's a part of him that's terrified of how quickly Vernon can guide the energies in the universe. But the part of him, the part that is Vernon's best friend, is very impressed and incredibly proud. 

So each time Vernon advances in his magic, gets a potion right, or finally masters a spell, Seungkwan can't help but pat his head. Or back hug him. Or press a friendly kiss to his cheek. He should really stop. This touching isn't part of the deal to teach Vernon magic. But it's so hard to resist when Vernon gives him this bright look and large smile whenever he gets something right. He starts to accept the praise—moving into Seungkwan's space sometimes before Seungkwan can even get to him.

It's endearing.

It's very Vernon. 

So the touching keeps happening.

It's been years since he's felt this level of comfort with someone. He doesn't deserve it—especially from someone as pure-hearted as his friend.

The two of them are in Seoraksan National Park by Vernon's Volkswagen. Naturally, they veered off the path and entered a section of the forest closed off to tourists, but neither is worried about getting caught. What would humans do against two witches anyway?

The stars above are as clear as ever. They're lighting up the black sky. Seungkwan admires them before pulling out two beers from the cooler in the back seat. He steadily heads towards Vernon and hands him a cool bottle. 

His friend leans against the hood of the car with an earbud in his left ear, and his chin tipped up to the sky. 

Seungkwan squeezes in beside him and looks up at the sky as well. He pops open both the caps of the beer with a snap of his fingers. He takes his first sip.

They've finished up with a case of golems. Seriously. Golems? Who knew they would find their way to South Korea. They were hard to defeat only because they had so little knowledge of them. But when they finally figured out they were being controlled by humans, it was easy to take them out. 

Seungkwan wonders what Vernon thinks of the entire situation. To kill the golems, they had to kill the humans—well, Seungkwan did. Vernon was busy holding off the golems from crushing him to death. 

But his friend didn't even speak of it. He's curious. "So the golems?"

"What about them?"

"It was a pretty tough case...maybe we should have called the others for backup."

"They were taking care of a siren case."

"Right. I just thought that maybe there was a better way to handle it than the way we did."

"We handled it."

"Yeah, but we killed the humans."

"And they would have killed us if we hadn't killed them. It's not like we can detain them and put them in prison. The court wouldn't believe us."

"So you're okay with killing humans?"

Vernon removes his earbud and tucks it in his pocket. He says, "It wouldn't be my first time."

Seungkwan sets his beer on the floor. "I didn't know that."

"Sometimes, we work cases where humans get their hands on too much that they can handle, and there isn't any way out of it."

"Do you ever feel guilty?"

"I want to say yes, but those humans deserved it. It's not any different than going after a werewolf or taking down a vampire's nest. They're out killing people, and we need to stop it before they kill anymore."

"Huh," Seungkwan chuckles. 

"What?"

"Just I'm starting to see why maybe you weren't so terrified of me when you were younger." _Two sides of the same coin._

"Did you expect me to be beaten up about this?" Vernon asks. 

"I don't know, maybe."

"Seungkwan, I've been a hunter all my life. I'm pretty used to all this."

"Did your parents teach you this moral compass?"

Vernon breaths deeply at the memory of his parents. "A bit, but I've evolved since then."

Seungkwan rocks back and forth on his feet, feeling embarrassed. He asks, anyway. "So would your moral compass now give you the insight to still be friends with me? Even after all I've done."

"I know about your past—"

"You don't know all of it. Vernonie, I'm not redeemable. I've helped others kill for revenge. I've killed people and sometimes just because I wanted to."

"Do you feel guilty about it?" Vernon finally looks at him. 

"I didn't, not until I met you."

Vernon's face scrunches up in confusion. "And why's that?" 

Seungkwan can't say it. He can't say that somehow somewhere by the energies of the universe, he's developed feelings for this young man. At first, he only wanted to take care of him. He saw him as an overgrown puppy that needed help and saving. He's not the same thirteen-year-old kid he met in the woods. Vernon is stronger now, more sure of himself, confident in his beliefs. 

Vernon bends down and gently places his beer bottle by their feet. He comes to stand in front of Seungkwan. A hand comes up and cups his cheek. Seungkwan gasps at the touch and meets Vernon's gaze. He's smirking even through his eyes. Vernon has always been too easy with his affection.

"Seungkwan," Vernon breathes out. "I like you. This version of you now. The one here with me."

"Why?" Seungkwan can't help but ask.

Vernon steps impossibly closer. Their knees knock together clumsily, and Seungkwan finds himself reaching out to place both hands on Vernon's waist. He lets it anchor him. Vernon continues to smile, "I believe in you and that you are good."

It's too much. Seungkwan is tempted to scoff at his words, but instead, he cradles them deep in his chest. "I want to redeem myself," he says.

"You've already started." 

Seungkwan is overcome with a rush of emotions. He dips his head against his chest, pondering Vernon's words. Perhaps...he meets his friend's gaze again. Seungkwan takes his chance. He leans in slowly and sees the shock of recognition on Vernon's face. Immediately, he's terrified that he's read this all wrong. These friendly touches have just been that—friendly, but then, Vernon smiles much more softly, shuts his eyes, and leans in as well. 

Their lips press and open against one another, the warmth of their energies feeding into each other. Seungkwan, for the first time in nearly three hundred years, stops thinking. He can't do anything but continue kissing his friend, focusing on each breath as it comes, the soft movement of Vernon's lips. 

He feels himself trembling against the car and Vernon's body. His hands turn into fists against Vernon's shirt as Vernon moves to kiss his neck, pulls down his shirt to press kisses against his chest. He's swelling beneath his touch. 

Seungkwan noses against Vernon's cheek and pulls him into another kiss. Without meaning to, his hand slips beneath Vernon's shirt. Beneath his palm, he feels the quickened rise and fall of his belly's breath. He strokes it gently, eliciting a soft grunt against his mouth. Seungkwan's hips rise at the sound. Another moan and Seungkwan is trembling. But Vernon is too.

They both are. 

So many years of confusion, deception, avoidance, and then friendship led them here. 

Vernon's hands slip beneath the back of his jeans. 

A sound blows through Seungkwan's mouth. Their movements grow desperate as if their energies are trying to fuse into one. It's so much. The spiral of Vernon's magic weaves against his every crackle of pulsating energy. It becomes their life force—no time for breaths.

He finds his hands moving away all of Vernon's layers, tugging them off and throwing them at the ground. Someone, he's not sure who, gently lays them on the grass beneath the outline of stars—beneath Aquilla, Capricornus, Cetus, and Orion. 

He finds his hands tangling in Vernon's hair. He can feel the energy there, beats of it against his fingers. It's almost like casting a ritual—wild and desperate—but he's in control of it. They both are. They're weaving themselves together because they want to. Because it's right.

Vernon's fingers tug at his jeans, and at the first stroke, Seungkwan gasps and pushes his head against the dirt. Vernon's mouth latches to his neck as Seungkwan gasps, "Don't stop." 

And he doesn't. The feelings gather until hoarse cries are leaping from both their throats, and they are arching against each other. 

When they finish, they collapse with the earth holding them up. They look up at the stars and hold hands beneath the weight of the universe.

"I didn't know I had feelings for you," Vernon says, breaking the silence.

Seungkwan's heart thumps wildly in his chest, terrified that Vernon is going to admit his mistake.

"But," Vernon continues, still glancing up at the stairs. "When you were about to kiss me. It all made sense, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss you back." 

"We should have talked before we did all that."

He sees Vernon shake his head from the corner of his eye. "I liked this best. It was just us doing what we wanted, ignoring everything that the universe has for us."

Seungkwan knows what Vernon means. He's talking about the prophecy. Still, he's genuinely happy. He rolls onto his side and presses another kiss against Vernon's mouth. 

"Now," Vernon gasps out, breaking from him. He stands and starts collecting all their clothes discarded around them. "Let's go eat. I'm starving!"

Seungkwan rolls his eyes fondly. "Agh, read the room, Vernonie. I wanted to cuddle."

"We can cuddle back home. C'mon. I'm craving barbecue." 

Seungkwan laughs and, like always, follows after him. 

Vernon sits in the backseat of Seungcheol's Toyota with Wonwoo by his side. Mingyu is tapping against the dashboard with whatever music is playing, and Seungcheol drives them back home. They're all exhausted. They finished up with a vampire's nest that should have only been five vamps but ended up being fifteen. It was the largest one they have ever faced, and without Vernon's magic, all of them would have been dead.

"Your magic really saved our asses," Mingyu says.

"You're getting really good at it," Wonwoo inputs next. "Almost as good at Seungkwan.

Vernon shakes his head at the praise. "He's hundreds of years ahead of me. I'm not…"

"How's training with him?" Seungcheol asks. 

"It's fun," Vernon admits and casually adds, "We throw lightning at each other, take part in late-night rituals, sometimes he takes me out to KFC."

They all shoot him a look but don't ask any more questions.

Seungcheol doesn't even bother to park the car correctly, and they all stumble out, collecting their bags and head inside. 

Vernon enters through the door first and crashes against Wonwoo, who crashes against Seungcheol, who then crashes against Mingyu, who falls backward. His friend yelps, but Vernon is distracted as Seungkwan holds out a giant black book in front of him.

"I found it!" Seungkwan shouts in absolute joy. "I found the Black Grimoire!" 

The five of them are in the living room. Seungcheol is in the corner of the room. Mingyu is making sure that every appliance is off, and Wonwoo is double-checking the hex bags.

It's only been a day since Seungkwan found the book. But his friend...boyfriend? (that's gonna take some time to get used to) is adamant about using the book now. He's been searching for years, and it's finally here. Seunkgwan hadn't even been looking for it, he says. He was out in Jeju because he needed to collect some volcanic rocks that can only be found there, and the book fell from the sky into his hands. 

So, as Vernon and Seunkgwan draw the runes on the floor and make sure the candles are in proper alignment with the constellations, the others are there for support if something goes wrong. 

"Remind me again what you two are doing?" Seungcheol asks, leaning against the wall. 

"Not us two," Seungkwan corrects. "Vernon is not going to touch the book."

"Is it dangerous?" Wonwoo questions.

Seungkwan nods, "Absolutely, but the benefits of the book outweigh the cons."

Vernon stops drawing the runes on the floor and drops the paintbrush in the bucket, "You might die."

Seungkwan doesn't meet his eye.

"Seungkwan," Vernon tries again. The other three hunters awkwardly hover by them.

"I won't die. You're going to make sure of that," Seungkwan finally says. 

Vernon takes a deep breath. Right. The prophecy. 

Seungkwan steps out of the center of the rune circle and looks over it. He finally answers Seungcheol's question. "The book has the spell to close the gates of hell, but I'm not strong enough to cast it. There's another spell in here that is going to unlock my magic. My magic will be able to manipulate the energies around us instead of me having to ask for permission."

He knows the information goes over the other hunter's heads. They haven't studied magic, but Vernon has. "You're talking about messing with the natural order. You've told me to never force it."

"Yes, because we're not strong enough. Our magic is tied to the universe. This spell will release me."

"Soooo," Mingyu starts, "You will really be the strongest witch on Earth."

Seungkwan nods enthusiastically. He steps back in the center of the rune and sits back on his ankles. He looks straight at Vernon. "The spell is going to require blood magic. So whatever happens, don't let them stop me."

Vernon nods. He's never done a blood ritual, but he has seen Seungkwan perform one. They can get...gruesome. He trusts Seungkwan. The others, while they trust the witch as well, have never seen magic like this. 

"Okay," Seungkwan takes a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Everyone nods. 

Seungkwan closes his eyes, and all the candles they lit flicker out. He takes a giant deep breath in, and then one by one, the candles all come back alive. Seungkwan looks up at the ceiling and starts the spell.

“Ego sum filius naturae. Cum osculatione lunae. Da mihi vocem liberatem. Remitte vim meam. Fiem invicta.”

Seungkwan repeats the spell. As he chants it a second time, he reaches in his jeans' back pocket and pulls out a small knife. He finishes the incantation, and Seungkwan presses the knife to cut a vertical line down his throat.

The hunters all approach in fear, but Vernon shakes his head. They seem hesitant but keep their distance.

From the cut in Seungkwan's throat, glowing purple energy emerges. It spreads down his body and turns into the magical bonds that are binding down the witch's power. The room starts to shake. The hunters are on alert, pulling out their weapons in case something unwanted appears. Vernon keeps his eyes locked on Seungkwan. The room shakes, and he can hear things shatter as they fall to the ground. Blood begins to pour down Seungkwan's eyes. 

Seungkwan gasps, but it's not fear.

Vernon can hear it. 

It's the sound of freedom. 

One by one, the magical bonds around Seungkwan's body shatter until they are all gone. The glowing bonds disappear, the cut at his throat heals, and the blood trickling down his eyes begins to flow back into him. A powerful wind materializes in the room, despite that all the windows and doors are closed. The wind blows out every candle.

The entire group waits in anticipation.

But surely, Seungkwan opens his eyes, and in the dark, they glow purple. 

"Seungkwan," Vernon says slowly.

"It's done."

After the ritual, things go on as normal. Well, as normal as their lives can be. Seungcheol and Wonwoo collect ingredients to help prepare the ritual to close the gates of Hell. Seungkwan, Vernon, and Mingyu sit in the kitchen, double-checking the runes' calculations that will need to be drawn.

It's been a week since Seungkwan unlocked his power. At first glance, Seungkwan appears completely normal. But Vernon can sense the difference, and he's not sure if he likes it. Seungkwan's magic energy crackles freely, and it twists and turns whenever he casts a spell. The energy around him obeys without any resistance. Like Seungkwan said, he's free from the universe. Vernon, however, is not quite so sure. He notices that when Seungkwan does use magic, the book hums with its own energy. It's very subtle, and truthfully, Vernon is not quite sure if it's there.

He brought it up to Seungkwan, but Seungkwan told him he can't feel anything.

And if the most powerful witch in the entire world can't sense the energy, then maybe Vernon imagines it. 

Still, the feeling gnaws at him. He stares at the book as it's sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.

"Vernon, Vernon."

Vernon jumps as his name is called.

"Gosh," Mingyu pouts. "I've been calling your name forever. Can you check these runes for me, if they're right?"

"Why not have Seungkwan check—" He sees his boyfriend isn't there.

"He went to the bathroom," Mingyu says. "Are you okay?"

Vernon bites his bottom lip and looks at the book again. "Yeah." He looks down at the runes. They look okay, but then he sees a jagged note at the bottom of Mingyu's page. "Yeoseodo?"

"Yeah, it's a small island off the coast. Seungkwan and I were talking that it would be a good place to perform the ritual because there's a known Hellmouth there."

Vernon feels strange magical energy enter the kitchen. When he looks up, he sees that it's Seungkwan. 

"... I'm sorry what?" Vernon asks. 

"A Hellmouth is a place where the dimensions between Earth and Hell are particularly weak. It usually attracts demons and other supernatural creatures, but this one has been inactive for centuries. It was inactive even before I was born. But the echo of it should still be there." 

Mingyu turns to his laptop, "I can get us tickets to take a ferry there. The soonest is in two days."

Seungkwan nods, "Sounds good; Seungcheol and Wonwoo should be back soon from paying Chan a visit."

Mingyu snorts, "He's not going to give them the tooth from his hellhounds."

Seungkwan grins, "Ah, he has a soft spot for Wonwoo. I'm sure they're on their way back already." 

Vernon, only half listens to the conversation. He's too focused on the way Seungkwan feels so much different than the witch he kissed under the stars. 

The five of them arrive on the island two days later. It's dark when they arrive. A few villagers returning from fishing look at them oddly, but Seungkwan lies to them and says they are here for research purposes and will leave the following night. 

They climb up the mountain and arrive at the Hellmouth. Vernon isn't sure how Seungkwan knows that's where it is since it looks like everything else around them, but still, all of them begin to set up.

It doesn't take that long, and even putting the ingredients together isn't tedious. The ingredients were a lot harder to get, truthfully.

The hunters step back. Seungkwan is ready. 

He has the book open as he kneels in front of it. The runes on the ground glow faintly under the moonlight. 

Everything feels wrong.

Seungkwan starts to recite the spell. 

The runes and Seungkwan's eyes glow purple. And then Vernon sees it. A flicker of black riding the wave of Seungkwan's energy. It's the book. 

Purple lightning shoots out from Seungkwan, and all the hunters jump back. Vernon stays rooted in place. The lightning grows in potency, and then it's cracking the earth beneath their feet. Seungkwan continues chanting. 

Vernon knows he needs to stop it. The other hunters can't see the energy of Seungkwan's magic, but he can. It's twisting the universe beneath his feet, but he doesn't have control. It's the book. The book is calling on him to open the Hellmouth. 

The earth beneath them shakes again. 

"Seungkwan!" Vernon shouts.

Seungkwan doesn't stop chanting. His eyes are cast to the sky, and there's a wicked smile on his lips.

"Shit!" Vernon shouts. He tries to take a step forward, but the earth is rattling too much for him to stay upright. He falls to his knees. "Break the runes!" Vernon yells at the others. He pulls out his knife from his boot and breaks a small rune circle by him.

Without any question, the others do as they are told. 

"Seungkwan!" Vernon tries again. Then, something sounds like it snaps. From beneath Seungkwan's feet, the ground begins to glow a sickly orange. Black smoke escapes from the Hellmouth. A demon. No.

"He's reactivating the Hellmouth!" Vernon yells as the wind around them picks up. "The book is in control!"

The others barely hear him as a rush of black smoke escapes from beneath Seungkwan's feet. The smoke travels past them and heads down into the village. Oh no, it's going to possess the island. Then the demons are going to come from them. 

The others realize this and begin to load up their guns with salt-rock.

Meanwhile, Seungkwan is laughing. His energy—it's all wrong. 

Vernon approaches the runes and stands just a centimeter outside of it. 

"Seungkwan, listen to me. This power is getting to your head; it's making you go crazy."

"No. It's given me clarity. It's showing me everything I've done before. I'm a flawed, petty evil creature, Vernon. I should just open up the gates of Hell even further. That's what the book is telling me."

"Seungkwan, you're stronger than this. You have to fight it."

Seungkwan drops his gaze down to meet him. It's jarring. Seungkwan's eyes are entirely covered up in black smoke. He almost looks like a demon.

"Why? We're never going to win against the demons. They're always going to take. Let's just make it easier. Let them finish the earth in one go!"

"Seungkwan, no!" Vernon looks down at his feet. He takes a deep breath and steps inside the circle. He hears the others shout his name, but the sound of the book is much louder. It's a deafening roar that isn't only heard but rattles deep inside his bones. Oh god, is this what's inside Seungkwan?

"Fight it!" Vernon takes faltering steps forward and falls to his knees in front of his boyfriend. 

"I can't be redeemed, Vernon."

"Yes, you can. You have been. And you will be even more when you let this go."

"But why?"

Vernon doesn't have the words. He looks desperately at his friends then back at Seungkwan. Purple and black lightning is coming straight for him. Vernon gasps and reaches out on instinct. He pulls Seungkwan into a bruising kiss. He doesn't know of any spell strong enough to break the one Seungkwan is casting, but he does know that while he can't force the energy around him, he can force his own. He pushes his magic deep down Seungkwan's throat. 

Let it work. Please.

He can feel the book's dark energy shrouding Seungkwan's magic. It's evil in every sense of the word. Why did Seungkwan think this was a good idea? He pushes his magic, and it spirals against the darkness. When he feels the darkness begin to abate, he pulls back.

Seungkwan's eyes have returned to their original color. 

"Vernon, what have I done," Seungkwan gasps out. He looks around the mountain. Even though he's not casting the spell, the magic is already in full effect. The Hellmouth is opening.

"You wanted to close the gates, but the book took over."

"I—"

"If you want to be redeemed, stop this." 

Seungkwan nods. His fingers shake as he reaches for the book. He flips through it, "The spell I cast was to close the gates of hell. I don't understand why this is happening."

"It's the book. It must have twisted the spell." Vernon grabs for it and shuts it. He can hear the magic roar again in his ears, and it's threatening to push him out of the rune circle. He grips for Seungkwan's hand. "I don't know how to stop this, Seungkwan."

"Kill me!"

"What?"

 _"Kill me!_ If the original caster is killed, the spell will fall."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"It's meant to happen; maybe this is it. This is what Jeonghan saw."

Vernon yells angrily, " _I am not killing you._ There has to be another way!"

Seungkwan reels back in shock. Vernon has never raised his voice at him. Seungkwan shakes. He can see Seungkwan thinking. He's breathing harshly, and they are losing time. They can hear footsteps approaching. It's probably the demons who took over the villagers' bodies. 

Seungkwan clutches at the Black Grimoire with both hands. He's terrified, they both are, but Seungkwan isn't going to leave the universe to fall into the hands of the darkness. He reaches out and cups Vernon's cheek. Seungkwan confidently states, "I only believe in two things. I believe in Magic, and I believe in you."

"Seungkwan?"

"Help me. Just like you did for me. I don't even know if this will work, but throw your magic into the book. Okay?"

Vernon nods. 

He places his palms on it, and Seungkwan's hands come on top of his. There is no spell. This is ancient magic—where witches would use their energy to be in tune with the universe. 

It's absolute agony. He's screaming, and so is Seungkwan. He can feel the darkness fighting back, and it's taking all of his willpower to keep sitting up. 

Slowly, the two unweave the magic. They keep forcing their energy into every nook and crevice around them. Each time they do, something clicks, and when Vernon looks up, he sees the binds returning and clicking Seungkwan back in place. He's being bound with the universe. 

"Almost there," Seungkwan tells him.

A bright light is glowing inside both of them. It's spreading and spreading until it's covering the very top of the mountain. It's their combined energy.

And it's good, and it's _pure_.

And just like that, it stops.

The book beneath their hands crumbles into a pile of ash. 

Both of them collapse to the ground. 

He hears footsteps again.

"Hey, hey," Seungcheol says, gently lifting him on his back. "We got you."

"We did it," Vernon gasps out in awe. He's never felt power like this. His magic is on edge, and it keeps wanting to go toward Seungkwan.

Apparently, his boyfriend feels the same way because he struggles out of Mingyu's grasp and falls onto him.

Seungcheol grunts under the weight of both of them.

But it feels better. The high of using his magic like that is slowly wearing off the longer he's in contact with Seungkwan. 

"Are you two okay?" Wonwoo asks.

Seungkwan nods. "I'm so sorry."

Vernon finds the strength to wrap both arms around him. Seungcheol pushes them both back to their knees. 

"It's okay," Vernon whispers into his neck. "It's not your fault."

He can hear Seungkwan wanting to object, and he's so grateful when he hears Mingyu of all people say, "It's not your fault."

If he had any strength, he would pull Mingyu into a hug too. Seungkwan needs to hear it...not just from him. But his friends. His family. 

"So, are the gates still open?" Seungcheol asks after a few moments of letting the witches regain their strength.

"Unfortunately, yes," Seungkwan says. "I'm sorry."

Vernon presses a kiss against his neck. "It's okay," He repeats. "You stopped the Hellmouth from reactivating." 

Seungkwan pulls away from him. "We did it together."

Vernon grins. 

The others can't help but grin as well. Relieved laughs leave everyone's mouths. 

"I heard a voice while we were pushing our magic into the book," Seungkwan says softly when the laughter dies down. Everyone looks at him expectantly. "I think I heard an angel."

Mingyu gasps out in shock, "Minghao?"

Seungkwan shakes his head sadly, "It didn't sound like him." He turns away from Mingyu and looks at Wonwoo. "The voice was asking for _you_." 

~Hold on, wait a minute!  
Feel my heart's intention  
Hold on, wait a minute!  
I left my consciousness in the 6th dimension  
Left my soul in his vision  
Let's go get it, oh, oh~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp this story now leads back into the wonhui storyline
> 
> not sure when I will upload but reviews always make me write quicker!

**Author's Note:**

> Out of all my supernatural works, this has been my favorite.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! 
> 
> Follow me @twinklingpaopu on twitter.


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